


A bullet meant for your heart

by wordsarehard



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Identity Reveal, SuperCorp, supercorp baby eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2018-12-23 12:15:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 59,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11989599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsarehard/pseuds/wordsarehard
Summary: When all the BtS photos were popping up about Kara catching the bullet I saw someone ask for a story like this on Twitter - so this is my version of it...and what happens after.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Characters do not belong to me...just taking them out for a spin  
> I usually do the humor thing, this is not humor - not even a little.

Lena didn’t move when she heard the soft noise of boots landing on the balcony.

She waited.

A knock on the glass, tentative.

She sighed, knowing Supergirl could hear it.

"It's open," she whispered, low, to see just how good the hero's hearing was.

The door slid open. "Um, do you mind if I come in?"

Lena shook her head, still unable to look at the woman. All day she had been on edge, snapping at anyone who tried to talk to her. She didn’t want to believe the note she'd received that morning.

_Kara Danvers was Supergirl._

Ridiculous. 

But then she was on the phone with her in the middle of a rather serious but hopeful conversation about their relationship and where it was going, and then the reporter had to go. A moment later Supergirl appeared to fight some creature on the news, but that’s not what Lena focused on.

She noted the dirty blond hair and blue eyes, the scar above her left eye, the simple gold stud earrings…and she knew it was true. The reality robbed her of her ability to breathe. Created an ache in her heart that had only worsened as the day went on.

Turned everything she knew to be true into lies.

"Hi, I just wanted to check on you."

Lena arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

Supergirl/Kara stood there. Her hand going up to adjust glasses that weren’t there. Lena almost smiled, almost. But then it occurred to her that her friend was so used to pretending to be Kara with her that even while in the suit, old habits stuck with her.

"I was around and saw the light on."

"Around? Nothing serious I hope?" Lena tapped her pen against the table.

"No, just the usual."

"If that's all, I have work to do." Lena made a show of holding up the file in her hand.

Supergirl/Kara swallowed, her usual smile had yet to be seen tonight. "Of course. Have a good night, Ms. Luthor."

Lena gave a half-hearted wave. Not meeting the other woman's eyes. Hitting the button next to her computer, the curtains closed. The girl of steel might have x-ray vision, but it still gave Lena a small feeling of privacy.

Not thirty seconds later a text from Kara popped up on the screen of her phone. The ninth since the reporter had left their conversation. Since Lena realized she had been a naïve fool.

She ignored it like all the prior ones.

Her desk phone rang and she put it on speaker.

"Hello."

"Ms. Luthor, this is Mark from the security desk. I have a Ms. Danvers here saying you gave her permission to come up, but she's not on the list anymore. What should I do?"

Lena bit out the words, making sure they sounded firm. "She's not on the list. Have her make an appointment like everyone else."

She hung up the phone, holding in her emotions. No way was she going to let Supergirl hear her cry.

Lied to for a year.

Taken for a fool.

All because of the Luthor name.

The giddy feeling that usually came to her when she thought of Kara had been replaced. Pain crept its way in and the fluttering in her stomach was more like nausea.

Silent tears made their way down her face. Fat drops splashing on the desk.

They were happy. Talking about going out on a date. Their first one since admitting that they had feelings for one another.

_Kara moved toward the door, a half-smile on her face._

_Lena bit her lip, knowing it was time. The hugs and lunch dates. The couch conversations that had become the highlight of her week._

_Her heart thudded against her chest._

_"Lena…"_

_"I have to say this now or I never will. I know we're friends and that means so much to me. Everything, really. But, I care about you. And I have to say this, not for you but for me. I think I'm falling for you." Lena took in a breath, unable to meet Kara's eyes. "I just needed to say that and I know you don't feel the same but I…felt like I was lying and I couldn’t live with it anymore."_

_Kara stepped forward, placing a finger under Lena's chin. "It's mutual." And then the sweetest, softest of kisses was placed on Lena's lips. There was no rush, no surge, just a gentle connection that felt so right. Lena melted into it and felt when Kara did as well, their bodies gravitating toward one another._

_Lena's hands rested on Kara's hips and the reporter cupped Lena's face._

_"Beautiful."_

_Lena sighed, letting her head rest on Kara's shoulder. "I want to do this right. A proper date is in order and we see where it goes from there."_

_And Kara smiled that beautiful smile that had won the CEO over the moment they met._

_"I'd like that."_

When the memory flashed in Lena's mind, she wasn’t strong enough to hold back the sob. She imagined even the girl of steel would have been hard pressed to hold back the flood of sadness enveloping Lena at the moment.

She let it come, soaking into her bones. For how long she didn’t know, but her limbs were heavy, her eyes red and bloodshot from crying.

Her phone indicated she had seven new texts and four voicemails. She deleted them without a second thought.

How ironic, that she be the one to do the right thing and be honest. To insure that there were no secrets between them. Now, she felt foolish. Kara had had her chance. Her opening right then and there to tell Lena the truth.

She chose not to take it. Which made Lena wonder how serious she had been about her feelings. How could one have a relationship while hiding a part of who they were? A large part of who they were? The answer was easy.

You couldn't.

She took the elevator down to the garage, going straight for her car. The drive home was uneventful. Part of her had expected Kara to do something, anything…to put forth that extra effort that Lena had been doing for months.

But no.

Nothing.

So be it.

Kara didn’t trust Lena. And boy did that hurt.

She rubbed at the spot over her heart absent mindedly.

***

_Earlier -_

Kara glared at the television.

"Lena, I'm sorry to cut you off but I really need to go. I'll talk to you later."

She was out of her office and in the air five seconds later. Another alien trying to make a name for themselves by taking down Supergirl.

The building she was thrown into developed a fifteen foot crack up the side. She'd have to fix it later.

One of her punches landed with a sound smack and she smiled in satisfaction. This idiot was going down for making her get off the phone with Lena.

Checking that the civilians who were gathered around were not in danger, she missed the kick sent toward her chest.

It actually hurt, a lot.

She scrambled to her feet, stopping him from throwing a car at the crowd.

Enough.

Charging toward the alien she hefted him into the air and brought him out the desert. They traded punches for five minutes before she knocked him out.

She tapped her comms. "Alex, got one out in the desert. Feisty, might want to bring a couple of extra guys to help when I drop him off."

Kara took him in, then gave her report to J'onn. Alex checked her over. Everything that normally happened, but this time it dragged by. Her constant sighing did not go unnoticed.

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

Kara made a face. "I just want to get out of here."

Her sister stood there with arms crossed. "Uh huh."

"I was talking to Lena about our date and it was an important conversation about us and more than friends. The first one since we kissed…and I had to go and I really want to talk to her." Kara's shoulders slumped.

Alex sat beside her. "Hey, she'll understand. She always does."

"So far, one day she won't." Kara glanced at her. "Can I go now?"

"Get out of here, and let me know how it goes!"

A smile directed at her sister and she was out the door with a boom. She dialed Lena's number while in the air, getting voicemail. She left a message then sent a text.

Back at CatCo, she read and reread the paragraph she had written a dozen times and still didn’t know what it said. Her phone remained eerily silent.

She called again, and again got voicemail. She sent a text and again got no response. She phoned Jess, but the secretary said Ms. Luthor was busy at the moment.

An uneasy feeling settled in Kara's stomach. A quick glance confirmed she had a few hours before she could leave work. Snapper had been keeping an eye on her lately.

Two hours later, she checked her phone. Frowning at the lack of notifications. She called and texted again. But her gut told her something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong.

As soon as she finished her article she flew out the door and headed to L-Corp. She hovered out the window, watching the CEO work. Testing a theory, she called.

Lena picked up her phone then set it back down.

Kara's heart fell. She sent a text.

Lena picked up her phone then set it back down.

Crap.

She set down on the balcony, not really thinking what she was doing. Her attention on the woman in front of her. The sound of her breathing, her heartbeat. Everything that made her Lena.

She knocked on the door, and heard the whispered: _"It's open."_

It didn’t register right away. The sadness coating the words.

When Lena turned to her, Kara was struck by the anger in green eyes that usually lit up when they saw her. "Hi, I just wanted to check on you."

Lena arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

The tone told Kara everything. Cold. Controlled. Distant. It threw her off, this wasn’t how Lena was with her, this was how she was with people she disliked, people she saw as hostile or threats.

She moved to adjust her glasses, stopping a second too late. "I was around and saw the light on."

"Around? Nothing serious I hope?" Lena tapped her pen against the table.

Kara almost flinched at the words. "No, just the usual."

"If that's all, I have work to do." Lena held up a file.

Kara swallowed, unable to muster a smile. "Of course. Have a good night, Ms. Luthor."

Outside, her heart sunk even lower when she saw the curtains close. She refrained from using her x-ray vision, knowing the CEO was asking for privacy.

She sent a text, desperate for some form of contact, connection with the woman she was falling for.

Ignored, again.

She landed in the alley, changing into her Kara guise and walked into the lobby with determined steps. The security guard stopped her, calling up to Lena. And Kara heard the conversation. She walked out, not making an appointment.

Her apartment was eight miles away. The walk wasn’t long enough and the city wasn’t providing her with any distractions.

Around her, everything seemed so loud, bright, and chaotic. She hunkered down on her couch, a soft blanket wrapped around her. She stared at the wall trying to figure what the heck happened. Things had been so good. They were talking about where to go for their date and more…

A knock at her door had her hoping until she realized it was Alex.

Then her sister was letting herself in, pizza and pot stickers in hand. "Hey, how did it go?"

"Not great."

Alex sat beside her, pulling her up so she could wrap her arms around her. "She mad?"

Kara broke then, the tears she'd been holding back came forth. She snuggled into her sister. "She hates me. She won't even talk to me and I don't know why."

"Shh, it's gonna be okay. Anyone who has ever seen you two together knows how you guys feel about one another. Maybe she's just scared?"

"It's not that. I can feel her shutting me out, putting distance between us. It's like…I can feel how angry she is." Kara recalled being in office earlier, and the tone of Lena's voice.

"Want me to talk to her? Try and knock some sense into that head of hers."

"No. I'll figure something out."

***

Lena tossed and turned, giving up on sleep when the clock mocked her at 5am. She kicked off the comforter and got to her feet. Ambling into the living room she flipped on the television, and of course, Supergirl was there.

A fire at an apartment building. Rescuing people and pets. The hero smiling after saving the day and most people weren’t even up yet.

She couldn’t be mad about that. Supergirl was National City's hero. But Kara had been hers.

Kara who she had fallen for.

Kara who didn’t trust her.

Her phone dinged, and she glanced over the messages, reading a few, skipping some, archiving the voicemails to listen to later…or maybe never.

Fidgeting, she knew she had to say something. She had managed to avoid the reporter for five days but it was taking a toll. She chose her words with care, or at least as much care as she could while being hurt and angry and frustrated. The email was short, but it would get the job done.

_Kara,_

_I know._

_I'll give you a minute to let that sink in. For the implication of that statement to register._

_If it was anything like I felt, it was like getting the air knocked out of you._

_I don’t know what to say. The usual words someone would use when they've been lied to by their best friend for months seem too small._

_I need time._

_I need space._

_L_

 

She hit send, closed out her email, then shut her laptop.

That morning work kept her busy, too busy to check her email. At least that's what she told herself. Her phone had been silent and no reporters from CatCo had asked for an appointment. Her email had worked and she didn’t know what to think about that.

Had she done the right thing? The angry part of her brain said yes, but the other softer, quieter part of her said no…

When Jess left and she was alone in the office she opened her e-mail. She scanned through them, seeing a new one from Kara. Her stomach dropped, her heartbeat picked up.

_Lena,_

_I'm sorry. I know those words are too small as well. How can they convey the depth of my regret?_

_I wish it could have happened differently. But going back in time is not one of my abilities._

_I am so sorry for hurting you, that is the last thing I ever wanted to do._

_I'll respect your wish for space,_

_Kara_

Lena read the message several times, each read through producing more tears.

Kara didn’t say why. Lena wasn’t worth an explanation.

She wiped at her face angrily.

That was good. It made holding on to the anger easier.

***

_Earlier -_

Kara paced her apartment, unable to sleep. She listened for anyone who might need her help.

Then her phone chimed. She almost cracked it swiping the screen.

Kara read the email three times before she understood.

Lena knew she was Supergirl.

Lena knew she had lied to her ever since they met.

Outside, the city woke, calling for her with sirens, car alarms, and screams for help. She wanted to ignore them for five minutes. Allow herself time to wrap her head around Lena's words. Allow herself time to grieve what she had lost.

But that's not how things work when you're a superhero.

She swallowed her tears and a few keystrokes later she hit send and left her apartment.

Snapper yelled at her most of the morning and her lunch plans were always open, which depressed her. Skipping lunch had been her coping mechanism to not think about Lena.

Working through the time she usually spent trying Kombucha, or pretending she hated Kale to make Lena laugh, or surprising her friend with doughnuts after a particularly bad shareholders meeting seemed like the best bet. By the end of the day she should have been starving, but wasn’t. By the end of the week she should have been ready to eat her desk. But her appetite was gone.

When she got home, Alex was there. An understanding smile on her face that completely undid Kara. She leaned into her sister, crying, mumbling, sniffling. And Alex listened, rubbed her back, stroked her hair, and told her it would okay.

And for those few minutes, Kara let herself believe.

The next morning, reality returned, ugly and sore. Her chest heavier than usual, a new pain to carry around. Breathing was harder. Plastering on her patented sunny smile was impossible.

She forced herself out the door. Articles needed to be written and people needed saving.

Her newly found devotion to work and being Supergirl distracted her for nine days.

Then a chance encounter unraveled her.

Kara spotted Lena in the park. She froze, indecision keeping her in place a second too long. Lena saw her and even though Kara tried not to, she heard the woman's heartbeat pick up, a small gasp.

The CEO looked how Kara felt. Tired, small, sad, frustrated…and a host of other things that swirled around making a chaotic mess in her head and heart.

In that moment, Kara decided to try and help herself. The city wasn’t screaming for Supergirl, and Snapper had the article he wanted on his desk.

With confidence she didn’t feel, she headed toward Lena. The CEO's eyes widening. When Kara was within five feet she slowed, waiting.

"I know you want space and time. And I said I would respect that. And I will, but I have to say something to you in person. Not in a text or an email or a letter. I need to look you in the eyes when I do." Kara waited.

Lena swallowed, the muscles in her neck bobbing. "Kara..."

Closing the distance so they were within inches of one another, Kara spoke, "First, it had nothing to do with your last name. I want to be a hundred percent clear on that. You're mad. I get it. My whole life I have had to pretend to be someone else. Lied about who I am and what I can do. No one really cared about Kara Danvers because they never really knew me. But you did. And you know what, you liked me. With you, I could be myself. There was no pressure to be perfect. And you have no idea how nice that was. I could relax with you and…and just be me. I never had that before and I was selfish and wanted it to stay that way." Kara paused, glancing around, but not really caring about the people around her. "If things had been different. If we had become more I would have told you. I would have warned you of the dangers of knowing my identity. I would have made you understand that a relationship with Kara Danvers would never be normal. Maybe impossible at times."

Lena held up a hand. "This is a lot to take in right now and I don't have the time. I'm meeting someone. I appreciate the effort, and maybe we can talk again sometime but I have to go."

Kara closed her mouth. Hurt showing on her face. She nodded. Lena walked off shaking hands with a tall brunette woman Kara didn’t recognize.

They walked toward a podium and Kara's forehead crinkled. Snapper hadn't told her about an L-Corp press conference. Then she saw James and knew her friend had probably hidden it from her so she wouldn’t have to deal with it.

She walked through the crowd, forcing her way to the front.

Around her people held signs about pollution, toxic chemicals, and a host of other things.

On stage, Lena gripped the dais, her fingers white.

Kara stared at her friend, willing her to see her. Needing to let her know she was there.

When she did, Kara gave her a small thumbs up and she saw Lena's shoulders relax.

While the CEO spoke, Kara kept an eye on the crowd. Then she heard it. The sound of a gun cocking. A bullet being released from the chamber. And without thought, she spun, grabbing two projectiles from the air.

A second too late she ducked for cover with the others, but Lena had seen what she did.

***

Lena massaged her temples. Her head throbbing.

Running into Kara had not been on her to do list. Nor had almost being killed.

And then Kara, not Supergirl, Kara had risked everything to save her life.

_"What were you thinking? Someone might have seen." Lena hissed._

_Kara tilted her head, making sure she had Lena's attention._

_Blue eyes locked on green."That bullet was headed for your heart. I will always do anything within my power to make sure you're never hurt again."_

And then the police were there to ask questions and the media which was good because Kara's words had left her speechless.

Lena swallowed at the implications. Kara's promise of being there for her and protecting her always, replaying in her mind.

The firm grip on her anger gone, replaced with something else that had her grasping and lost.

And now…now she was confused. Feelings were not something Lena Luthor did well. Her default was stoic with a touch of irritation. And the reality was that being with Kara…she was just Lena.

In the months they'd been friends she'd dropped the CEO mantle during their lunches. Had smiled and laughed more than she could remember since Lex went crazy.

With a sigh, she knew that she might be mad at the reporter, but she missed her friend. And after what she did today, she knew that even though Kara kept the truth from her about being Supergirl, she had kept the promise to always protect her and that was what really mattered.

Kara Danvers kept her promises.

Pulling out her phone she sent a text.

Lena: _Perhaps we can get a cup of coffee and talk sometime._

She hit send before she could overthink it.

Her phone buzzed five seconds later.

Kara: _Name the place and time. I'll be there._

A smile crept onto her face, uninvited.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet...things don't quite go as planned but it works out in the end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters are not mine -
> 
> This is angsty and internal. The original story did not seem finished so...I am adding to it.

Kara stripped off her suit and got in the shower. Her last encounter had left her smelling of burnt rubber and something else she didn’t want to think about. She scrubbed until the loofa in her hand was in tatters.

She did a test sniff. Not too bad.

Checking her clothing rack she grabbed a pair of worn jeans, a light blue shirt, and grey hoodie. At the door she slipped into a pair of sneakers. More casual that her usual outfit, but she was too nervous to care.

Time elapsed since she arrived home, four minutes.

Time until she was supposed to meet Lena, two minutes.

A bit of super speed had her arriving at the café with twenty seconds to spare. She glanced around, nervous when she didn’t spot the CEO.

Kara went to the counter and ordered her usual as well as Lena's then chose a table with an eye line to the door.

Five minutes…ten…twenty…her heart started to drop.

A week ago Lena had sent her a text about getting a coffee sometime. This morning, she had given a place and time. The fact the spot was isolated and had no customers didn’t go unnoticed by Kara.

Was Lena embarrassed? Did she want some sort of privacy while still being out in public?

Maybe she changed her mind?

Lost in her musings she missed Lena enter.

"Sorry I'm late. Meeting ran long and my battery is totally dead." She held up the phone as if Kara might ask her to prove it.

"It's okay. I got you a drink, but it might be cold now."

Lena sat in the chair across from her, letting her bag slip off her shoulder. She wore a black blouse and skirt with dark blue jacket. The usual red lipstick.

"Thank you, and I don't mind." The CEO leaned over the table and hugged the cup to her.

Kara leaned back in her chair, arms resting on the table, hands turning her mug around and around.

"How was your week?"

Lena took a sip of her drink. "Good, or as good as it can be when people are out to get you and ruin your reputation."

She smiled, but Kara noted it didn’t reach her eyes.

"Well, if you need any good press just let me know."

Lena nodded. "I might take you up on that offer if things don't ease up."

It was then that Kara noticed the dark circles hidden by layers of makeup. The unhealthy paleness of her friend's skin. The fact her clothes were a bit baggier than normal. Something had been taking a toll on her friend.

Kara grinned, putting whatever strength she had left into making it cheery. But the shift in their friendship. The superficial tone and the acquaintance-like quality left her queasy and sad.

"How have you been?" Lena glanced at her watch.

Kara blew out a breath. "The usual, deadlines, chaotic newsroom, dealing with _other_ things that come up."

Lena's eyes flew up to meet hers. "Yes…other things. How's that going?"

Kara shrugged. "Same as always."

She'd been waiting for Lena to ask her to meet all week and now all she wanted to do was make up an excuse to leave.

This, whatever they were doing felt wrong. Even when they'd first met they weren’t this stiff and polite with one another.

The butterflies she had grown so accustomed to when Lena was around were eerily still now.

"Good, that's good. Glad you're safe."

They sat in silence, both of them stealing glances of the other.

The CEO checking her watch, again.

"If you need to be somewhere, don't mind me. We can do this another time." Kara pushed her empty mug away.

Lena sighed. "Thanks, something came up last minute and I need to be at the office for a _surprise_ safety check."

Kara got to her feet, barely stopping herself from reaching out to hug the other woman. They stood awkwardly, unsure what to do next.

"Okay, let me know." Kara nodded, heading toward the door.

"Kara," Lena called out. "It was nice to see you."

Kara didn’t turn, just nodded, her heart aching. "You too. I hope we do it again sometime."

***

Lena hated herself for how she'd acted with Kara. She could see the hope draining out of the young woman's eyes during their brief time together.

She had wanted to say so much. Have an actual conversation. But, that wasn’t in the cards right now. After she'd made plans with Kara, everything at work had gone to hell. She'd almost canceled but knew that would be worse if they were going to rebuild anything.

Tossing back the now ice cold coffee, she straightened her shoulders, ignored the pain in her chest, and went back to work.

A safety team awaited her. They went over every inch of the lab. Looking for the tiniest of infractions to cite her with. But she wasn’t stupid, she knew something like this could happen, would likely happen, and designed her labs to perfection.

Six hours later, they left. Their expression ranging from grim to irritated to grudging respect. She didn’t give a damn.

A quick look at her watch confirmed her entire day had been wasted with nonsense.

She debated texting or even calling Kara but resisted. Seeing her friend…were they that anymore? Seeing her had been more difficult than she'd imagined it would be. Part of her, a large part, just wanted a hug. She'd always felt safe in those arms. How much longer could she delude herself about her feelings when it came Kara?

Scooping up files and shoving them into her bag she headed to the lobby.

The day had been a loss on every front. Her plans were to go home, have a drink, and curl up with a good book.

***

"That bad?" Alex asked.

Kara grabbed two pints of ice cream from the freezer and went back to the couch. She handed one to her sister and opened one for herself.

"Bad…well depends on your definition? She could barely look me in the eye, was late, and left early because of something that came up last minute. So, you know, it sucked." She dug into her double chocolate mint with gusto.

"I'm sorry. You want to come and hang out with me and Maggie this weekend? We can do a movie marathon, I'll even let you pick." Alex exaggerated her frown.

Kara laughed. "As exciting as it sounds to be a third wheel, I can't go. I have to work."

Alex stuck her spoon in her ice cream. "Don’t do that."

"What?"

"That thing where you pretend you're fine and throw yourself into being the perfect reporter and the perfect hero and act like everything's great."

Kara chewed on her lower lip. "Do I really do that?"

Alex raised a brow.

"Fine, I'll try not to."

"Uh huh." Alex leaned over and wrapped an arm around Kara. "Come here."

She sank into her sister's embrace, wondering how to make it better between her and Lena. Did she still want space? Was she mad? Was she humoring Kara by going to coffee? Ugh, did she feel sorry for her?

After Alex left, the thoughts would not stop swarming in her head. Angry wasps stinging her with hundreds of "what ifs".

A warehouse fire rescued her from the downward spiral her mind was in. Then a car accident. When she crawled into bed at five in the morning she was too tired to do much else than hope tomorrow was a better day.

***

Closing the door behind her, Lena allowed herself one minute to gather herself.

Kara was on her way over for a meeting in a couple of hours. Official, not one of their impromptu ones.

Eleven days had passed since their awkward coffee…thing. Lena had meant to touch base, make plans again, but after that disaster figured she'd blown it. And maybe she was scared of Kara saying no and confirming Lena's fears.

"Lena, everything okay?"

Her eyes flew open at the sound of Lillian's voice.

"Surprised to see me?"

"What are you doing here?" Lena pushed away from the door, heading toward her desk.

Lillian got out of Lena's chair. "I just wanted to check in and see how my daughter was. Really, not everything I do is nefarious."

Lena sat in her chair. "Yes, it is. Are you here to frame me for something? Perhaps kidnap me and force me to open a vault?"

Lillian adjusted one of her rings. "Lena, come now. I thought we were done with all that after I left you that note."

"Note?"

"Of course, you were too blinded by…what the cardigans and glasses? To see the truth. I showed it to you."

Lena's mind raced.

Her mother knew Kara was Supergirl.

Her mother had left the note.

"Why?"

Lillian let out an exaggerated sigh. "I was looking out for you. She's been lying to you this whole time. Making a fool of you. I couldn’t let it go on. And now that you know, I'm sure you see my side of things."

Lena thought about the Medusa virus. About when Supergirl…Kara saved her from an explosion that could have killed the hero. All the times Kara had stepped in…

"No, I'm not like you. Now, if that's all, I have work to do."

Lillian walked toward the door. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You can't trust her. She will let you down."

Without thought, Lena sent a text. A minute later Supergirl landed on her balcony.

"The DEO is looking for her. I did a scan but didn’t see anything." Kara moved toward her, awkward, like she wanted to hug Lena but wasn’t sure if she should. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just threw me." Lena got out of her chair, nervous energy racing through her. "She left the note."

The crinkle appeared on Kara's brow. "Note?"

"Yeah, it's how I knew." She gestured toward the crest on Kara's chest. "About you."

Kara crossed her arms, the hero stance she associated with Supergirl, nowhere to be seen. This was Kara Danvers.

Lena twisted her fingers. "How did she know…how long has she known?"

Kara hesitated, her eyes clouding, and Lena wondered if she wanted to know the answer.

"My foster dad…they…CADMUS, took him hostage. So, I guess she's known for a long time." Kara cocked her head to the side, listening. "No sign of her. But they'll keep looking."

More hurt done by her family…hurt done to Kara. "And you and her…she never…" Lena thought she might be sick if she finished the question. Snippets of a conversation about how cold Lillian was from a face that had no doubt experienced something terrible at the hands of her mother.

Kara blew out a breath. "No more secrets?"

Lena nodded.

"She took one of my friends and used them to lure me to her. I went, stupid I know, but I had to. When I got there her cyborg kicked my butt. I woke up in a cell, she made me solar flare to get some blood and then I escaped with the help of my foster dad."

Unable to watch Kara try and hold it together, Lena turned her attention to the window. So her mother had hurt Kara and still the hero had faith in Lena.

"I'm sorry." Again, too small to convey what she meant.

"It’s not your fault."

***

Kara took in the tremble of Lena's hands, the waver in her voice, and the overall shakiness of her. She could ignore it. She could make up an excuse to leave. Or she could talk.

"I know this is probably the worst timing ever for a talk…but I don’t know when I'll get another chance." Kara went to the couch, taking her usual spot. "I miss my friend."

Lena's eyes cleared a bit and she moved with hesitant steps toward Kara. "I miss you, too. I'm not angry…if you're wondering, and to be honest I don’t know why I was. I mean, it's a secret identity for a reason. I think I was hurt more than anything."

Kara held up a hand. "I know. I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I just… I used to live in the past, a lot. Losing my planet, my people, my culture, and my parents…the weight of it is a constant reminder to appreciate what I have because you never know when it can disappear. "

Lena sat on the couch, further than usual. "I don’t know how to do this…trusting is hard and not just because you're a super. I'm not exactly good with people."

Kara debated a moment before pushing on. "I want you back in my life. Your absence made me realize just how big a part of my life and heart you are. And I need you to know that. I'll wait as long as it takes to earn back your trust and for the record I think you were pretty good with me."

"Kara –"

"It's okay. Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere." Kara put a reassuring hand on top of Lena's, their fingers wrapping around one another out of instinct.

The door to Lena's office opened and Jess ran in, breathless. "Ms. Luthor, there's been an explosion in one of the labs."

Kara pulled away the moment she heard the secretary approach and was out the door before she finished her sentence.

Screams echoed in her head and she plowed through three levels to get to the trapped employees. She pulled seven from the outer room, but when she forced the doors to the inner lab open she stumbled.

Lena appeared, clutching her side. "What is this? Kryptonite?" Panic filled green eyes looked to her. "Kara!"

Lime colored smoke filled Kara's lungs.

Kara's eyes widened at the pain.

She focused on Lena, trying to smile but only managing a grimace.

"I knew you'd show up. My daughter is too predictable. How long did she wait to call you after I left?"

Lillian stood there, her voice obscured by the mask on her face. Three armed men behind her.

Kara fell to her side, her whole body in spasms. Her lungs tried to expand but couldn’t. She coughed, bloody froth coming out of her mouth. Lena fell to her knees, trying to drag Kara away but unable.

"Kara…hold on." Then those beautiful green eyes full of fury looked elsewhere. "What are you doing?"

The noises around her turned into muttering then muffled voices then silence.

***

Lena stared anywhere but Kara. The hero had been unconscious for two days. Her normally tanned skin a sickly white.

She berated herself for not realizing her mother had an ulterior motive for visiting.

She would never forgive herself for putting Kara in danger.

She hated that she couldn’t do anything to help.

"Lena, stop whatever mental tirade you're on. She's going to be okay." Alex put a hand on her shoulder, reassuringly.

It almost broke her.

In the weeks she hadn't seen or spoken to Kara, she'd realized how empty her life was. Not just of people, but of happiness, joy, laughter, food…And she'd almost thrown it away over something stupid in the grand scheme of things. And Kara hadn't given up. Hadn't given in to fear. Still put herself out there in regards to how she felt about Lena.

And Lena had said nothing.

And now she might not be able to.

"You know, she wanted to tell you for a while now. She just didn’t know how."

Lena met Alex's eyes, hating the sincerity she saw there. Kara, this woman's sister was lying on a sun bed, near death, because of Lena's mother. How could she even look at her?

"It wasn’t your name or a lack of trust; she just doesn't really know how to do it. She's so used to keeping a secret. My parents, man, they really ground that into her."

Lena must have looked confused because Alex continued. "Most people that know figured it out or were told by someone else. The only two people Kara came out to on her own were her best friend the day after she saved a plane so chalk that up to adrenaline. And the other person was so that she could save my life. I was about to be shipped off to CADMUS for…not fun stuff."

Her mother's interference seemed to be unending.

"She's so used to protecting people that sometimes she forgets to protect herself. She liked being with you. You didn’t need or want anything from her but her…you might not realize it or even understand but you were the one person she could relax around. Even with me there was talk about missions, fights…dangers. She got to escape that for a bit with you."

Lena felt the hand in hers move and she let her eyes roam over Kara's face.

Too still.

Too pale.

 "I guess what I'm saying is, please cut her some slack. It's probably hard to imagine but having friends is new to her. Whatever you two have is new to her and she's doing the best she can while saving the world at the same time. She cares about you, a lot. More than she realizes."

Lena wondered what that meant. If Kara had spoken to her sister about their kiss…their feelings for one another. Feelings that might still be there.

Blue eyes fluttered open and Lena meant to look away but couldn’t. She relaxed; the part of her that had been coiled so tight she was ready to snap loosened enough to allow her to speak.

"Hi," she croaked, her voice unsteady with emotion.

"Hey, you." A small but beautiful smile.

And finally, Lena broke.

Tears streaming down her face while Alex hugged her sister close.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not awesome…my chest hurts."

Alex sat on the other side of the sun bed now, Kara's hand in hers. "Yeah, well you inhaled, a lot." She grinned.

Kara's weak laugh turned into a sputter. "Funny."

Lena didn’t know what to do. Stay? Leave? Laugh?

"It'll take a couple more days to get out of your system. Thankfully, it wasn’t the real stuff."

Kara nodded her head then turned to Lena. "You okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. You're the one she almost…"

Kara squeezed her hand. "I'm okay."

In that moment Lena realized how much she needed things to be okay with Kara.

"I'll trust you on that." She hoped Kara knew all the things that were attached to that statement.

"Thank you."

"We're still trying to figure out what Lillian wanted. That cyborg hacked the system and muted the alarm. We don't know what else they did. Lena's staying here until we know more," Alex said.

Lena was happy she didn’t mention the fit she threw when they tried to take Kara away without her. The threats she'd made if they didn’t allow her to go with them.

Alex had been the one to step in. Get her to sign a NDA and approved her to stay in Kara's room. Something the CEO would have to thank her for properly.

But not right now.

Right now she focused on the warm hand she held and the soft smile Kara gave her before falling into a restful slumber.

Everything else could wait.

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No more angst, just kind of setting up a few things to be dealt with in later chapters...  
> Characters do not belong to me...

Trust wasn’t something Lena was used to and the amount of it she had given and been giving back lately astounded her.

Alex trusted her with Kara's secret.

Lena trusted Kara that she would be okay.

The DEO trusted Lena to help them find Lillian.

Lena trusted the DEO enough to grant them full access to her files.

All the ways it could go wrong.

All the ways she could get hurt.

Forcing the negative thoughts aside, Lena checked the time, fifteen minutes until Kara should be released by Alex, though with several restrictions.

The CEO paced the narrow hallway, unsure of herself. For the last three days, she'd been at Kara's side, helping her pass the time. They'd watched movies that Kara insisted Lena needed to see, and a few television shows. And the food, Lena had never seen someone eat so much in one sitting.

Lena had worked remotely when the superhero napped and on a few occasions nodded off on the chair but always woke on the couch with a blanket tucked around her.

With all the people walking around the DEO and Alex coming in to talk with her sister, Lena hadn't felt comfortable delving into any personal territory with Kara.

However, she knew it was time. When she'd seen Kara go down…all the Kryptonite gas around her, the pink froth at her mouth as her body shook, two things happened.

First, Lena realized she couldn’t lose Kara. The ability to deny her feelings disappeared under the unbearable weight of that possibility. All the things she hadn't said, and sadly all the things she'd said while angry, tumbled around her head as she cradled Kara and begged her not to die. Pleaded with her to hold on. And for the first time since she was a five-year-old girl, she'd prayed.

Second, Lillian needed to be stopped. She knew Kara's real identity and had the technology and resources to take her down. There was no way Lena was going to allow that to happen.

She let out a breath as she finished another lap of the hallway.

"Hey, you want to come in here?" Alex asked, her head poking out from the exam room.

Lena nodded.

Once inside, she saw Kara sitting on the side of the sun bed, a frown on her face. She wore a white t-shirt with light blue pajama pants and her hair was up in a ponytail.

"I'm fine," she coughed, which kind of blew out her credibility.

Lena cleared her throat. "The deal was you go home as long as you take a couple days off until you're back to a hundred percent."

Kara looked at her, a small smile forming on her face. "You're just as bad as Alex."

Alex typed on the tablet in her hand. "Take it as a compliment, Lena."

"I do."

"Fine, how about a couple days of taking it easy?"

Alex set the tablet down. Hands on hips. "Do you want me to take this to J'onn?"

Kara shook her head.

"Then you do it my way. That gas was toxic, it lingered in your system longer than we anticipated. Lillian's getting better at cooking this stuff up and we have no idea when she'll strike again." Alex moved toward one of the monitors and hit a button. "If she comes back for you…"

"She can stay at my place," Lena blurted.

Alex raised a brow, a knowing grin on her face.

"No way!"

Lena tried to hide the hurt at Kara's quick dismissal of her offer but the reporter had seen it.

"Lena, I appreciate it, but I won't put you in danger like that."

The CEO moved toward the bed. "Well, it's not up to you. The deal is you go to my place which is on the fiftieth floor, has security measures the DEO would be envious of, and even Lillian doesn't know about it."

Alex walked toward her, arms crossed. "We have your address on file…"

"You have _an_ address on file. I don't use the Luthor name on personal properties. I prefer not to come home to bundles of hate mail or hired killers."

"Smart, I approve. Kara, it's that or Maggie and I taking turns on your couch and my back already hurts at the thought."

"Fine, I'll stay at Lena's."

Lena noticed the blush on the hero's cheeks and knew it matched her own.

***

Kara grabbed a few essential items from her apartment. Extra glasses, sketchbook, laptop, extra suit, and lounging clothes.

When done, she headed toward the address Lena had entrusted her with.

Two minutes later she was on the balcony of a penthouse in one of the newer buildings downtown.

She knocked on the glass doors, waiting.

The curtains were pushed aside revealing a smiling Lena, and Kara's heart skipped a beat. Lena had her hair up in a loose bun, glasses that Kara had never seen before were perched on her nose, and a gray sweater with worn jeans finished the look.

To Kara, she was the most stunning thing she'd ever seen.

Would she ever get over the other woman's beauty? If her rapid heartbeat and fluttery stomach were indicators, she guessed not.

"Hi," Lena said after sliding the door open. "Come in. I'll show you around."

Kara entered, her eyes roaming over the large space. The majority of the place had light-colored wooden floors.

"Dining room." Lena pointed. "Not that I entertain."

A small dining set sat near the wall of windows. Six chairs, a wooden table, and a simple centerpiece of flowers.

"Maybe someday," Kara offered.

"Maybe…and this is the kitchen."

Maple colored cabinets with dark granite countertops. A tiny breakfast nook in the corner by a rounded window alcove. Appliances all in stainless steel. The floor was a charcoal colored tile.

"It's great." Kara ran her hand along the counter.

"Over here is the living room." Lena's eyes went to the pile of movies on the coffee table. "I picked those up. You mentioned them."

Kara's heart warmed at the thought. The leather couch was made in the distressed fashion and she knew without testing, it was comfortable. The television was big, probably sixty inches. The blanket on the back of the couch was a deep blue and Kara imagined wrapping her and Lena up in it.

"Thanks, you didn’t have to do that."

Lena raised a brow. "Considering your excitement about coming here the least I could do was make your time enjoyable."

"Are you going to be with me?"

Lena nodded.

"Then my time will be more than enjoyable."

Lena blushed. "Next is the library."

The walls of the room were lined with shelves that overflowed with books. In the center was some sort of specially designed couch, she was sure, to read on. Books littered the ground and a worn blanket was thrown over the middle.

This room felt lived in. This room was obviously Lena's favorite. Her hideaway.

Lena finished the tour a few minutes later pointing out the bathrooms, guestrooms, master bedroom, and her office.

"This place is beautiful. Thanks for letting me stay." Kara wheezed the last bit, unable to hide it.

Lena was at her side in a moment, taking her bag and putting it in the guest room closest to hers.

"Come on, lay down for a bit. I'll get you some water."

Kara let Lena help her, smiling the whole time. Slipping into the bed she sighed. "This is the most comfortable bed I've ever been in."

"Only the best for National City's hero," Lena said.

Closing her eyes to enjoy the feel of the sheets, a warm hand brushed her cheek.

"Get some rest."

"I'm not tired."

Within seconds, Kara dozed off.

***

Lena busied herself with work issues that had arisen in her absence. Or maybe she was trying not to think about Kara sleeping a few feet away from her.

She knew having someone in her personal space would make it hard for her to feel comfortable. She knew it would be difficult to relax with someone else here. She knew it would be impossible to get anything done.

She realized, with some shock, that having Kara here did none of those things. If anything she breathed a bit easier knowing the hero was safe and sound.

With a smile she went back to work, searching, she had yet to discover what Lillian had taken which worried her. The DEO hadn't discovered anything either and she was starting to wonder if perhaps her mother might have left something behind.

She sent a quick message off to her cyber-security department and to the DEO.

A glance at the clock let her know it was almost dinner time. Removing her glasses she got to her feet and headed into the kitchen.

Her fridge had never been so full, but she'd also never had a Kryptonian stay with her before. She pulled out tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic. Chopping them up and putting them into a pan on a low setting with some olive oil she grabbed a can of black olives, draining and rinsing them before adding them to the mix.

"Hey, whatcha making?" Kara stood beside her, peering at the stove.

"Just some pasta. Hope that's okay."

Kara's smile was huge. "Are you kidding? It sounds wonderful. I usually have take-out…with my schedule I don’t really have the time."

Lena pointed for Kara to sit on a stool. "Well, you happen to be in luck. I enjoy cooking, so while you're here you can have all the homemade meals you want."

Kara rounded the counter, sitting on the stool. "I'll just have to find some way to endure." She let out an exaggerated sigh then cocked her head to the side.

"I'm sure you'll manage."

Kara got up a moment, disappearing back into her room. When she returned she had her glasses with her.

Lena raised a brow. "You don’t have to wear those here."

Slipping them on, Kara frowned. "I do…they help with the sounds. Otherwise, I get too distracted."

Moving toward the counter so she stood opposite Kara, Lena asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Kara shook her head. "No, but thanks for asking."

"Well, just let me know if you think of something." Lena returned to preparing dinner while Kara dealt with work emails from Snapper.

A loaf of French bread was cut in two, butter, freshly pressed garlic, and a touch shredded parmesan was added before it went into the oven.

Ten minutes later she set their plates down on the small table.

"Dinner is served."

Kara glanced up, her eyes sparkling. "My three favorite words!"

"Really? Why am I not surprised?"

Closing her laptop, Kara grinned. "Yep. I think they were the first words I learned when I arrived here."

Lena sat in her chair, unsure how to deal with Kara's casual attitude to talking about her being an alien.

"Was it hard?"

Kara glanced up, her brow wrinkled. "What?"

"Adjusting to Earth…I imagine it had to be very different."

"Yeah, I was really lost at first. My cousin had grown up and the whole reason I had come here was gone."

Lena took a sip of her wine. "What do you mean 'he was grown up'? That part of the story was kind of glazed over in the article."

Kara twirled pasta like a pro. "I was thirteen when I was sent here…and he was just a baby. I got stuck in the Phantom Zone where time doesn’t pass. I was eventually freed from it, but after spending almost twenty-five years there. So, by the time I arrived…he was grown up and had no idea what to do with a scared little girl that he had no idea how to relate to."

The sadness lacing Kara's voice told Lena everything. "But you had the Danvers. I'm sure he did what he thought was best for you."

"I know. At the time it was hard though. Alex made it easier after we stopped hating each other. But to be honest, I've never really fit in. Just how it is when you have to hide who you are."

Pushing her plate away, Lena sorted through the various questions fighting for attention in her mind. All of them taking a back seat when she saw the shadow in Kara's eyes.

She didn’t want Kara to hide who she was. In fact, she wanted to know everything about her.

"What was Krypton like?"

And Kara talked, and talked, long into the night. Lena absorbing every word.

***

At some point, they had wandered over the couch. Lena on her third glass of wine and Kara on her second pint of ice cream.

She didn’t realize how much she remembered about her home planet, her friends, her family. All of it coming back to her. Sometimes she'd get so excited she'd slip into Kryptonian until Lena got her attention and she went back to English.

She expected it to hurt. All the memories, all the feelings, all the loss. But it didn’t. For whatever reason, it felt good to share. To keep her culture alive, if only in this one conversation for a brief moment in time.

After several hours, her lungs let her know they weren’t quite healed and she slowed down, realizing Lena had dozed off. Her head resting on Kara's shoulder.

Lifting her, Kara headed to the master bedroom, noting the small teddy bear sitting on the nightstand. She settled Lena down, tucking her in, and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams."

Back in her room, Kara pulled out her laptop reading over the notes Snapper had sent her back. Not tired enough to sleep she wandered back into the living room and made her way to the balcony.

The view was spectacular and she sat on one the lounge chairs staring up at the sky.

She thought of Lena and everything that had happened. A couple of months ago they had been ready to move forward. Some part of Kara knew it wouldn’t work out. She hadn't told Lena about being Supergirl, and things just had a way of falling apart when it came to her relationships.

Listening in, she relaxed at the even beat of Lena's heart.

Would this time be different?

Tonight things had been comfortable for the first time since Lena found out about her secret. Kara closed her eyes, committing all the details to memory. Lena laughing, her eyes when Kara spoke of Krypton, her smile, her smell, the weight of her in Kara's arms.

She woke to the smell of pancakes, bacon, and coffee.

"Did you sleep out here?"

Kara stretched then got to her feet. "I came out to admire the view. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

Lena scrunched her forehead. "Did you get cold? Do you get cold? Are you feeling okay? Should I call Alex? I should call Alex." Lena rambled, and Kara found it adorable.

Kara wrapped Lena in a hug, not even conscious of what she was doing. "I'm fine. I don't get cold. And we don't need to call Alex."

"All right, but you better not get sick."

Kara dropped her arms, pleased that Lena had relaxed into the embrace. "I'll try not to."

Lena motioned her inside "Well, come on, breakfast is ready."

Kara ran to the table. "Three of my favorite words!"

Lena chuckled. "I thought they were _dinner is served_?"

"Let’s go with anything about food being ready."

Lena smirked. "I'm starting to figure that out."

They ate in silence, but it wasn’t the kind that Kara felt the need to fill with inane banter. It was nice and comfortable.

She cleared the table when they finished. "You cooked, I clean," she said when Lena got up to help.

With a shrug, Lena sipped at her coffee while reading the paper.

Kara stole glances at her, trying to gauge her mood.

"Do you have to work today?"

"A little, you?"

"Nope, I did it last night."

"I was wondering…if you're not too tired…maybe we could talk?" Lena asked.

Kara heard the fear underneath the words. "Sure."

Lena sucked in a deep breath. "I need tea for this. Want some?"

"No thanks."

While the water boiled, Kara's head raced with various thoughts. Was Lena already tired of her? Was she going to get the friend speech? She braced herself, promising not to break down in front of the CEO if it was bad.

"Okay, join me on the couch?"

Kara trailed after her, head bowed.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Well, that's part of what I wanted to talk about. Before you were…hurt, we were in the middle of a conversation."

Kara pulled at the blanket on the back of the couch. "I remember."

"I didn’t…I wanted to tell you a few things."

Holding up a hand, Kara spoke, "You don't have to say it. I understand."

Lena's eyes narrowed. "You do? What is it you understand?"

Kara let out a breath. "I know that because of who I am…and all that that entails that a relationship with me is less than ideal. I mean it's almost impossible. I have to be two different people and that's not fair to anyone. I totally get it."

"Hmm, yeah, that's not what was I was going to say. But if that's how you feel…"

"What? No, I told you how I feel and I meant it. I'll wait as long as it takes to earn your trust back..."

Lena took her hand. "You have it…and more. I don't have time for games or playing around. I'm not great at relationships. I work too much, my last name brings a lot of negative attention, and emotions…well they can overwhelm me and when they do I get scared. But you, Kara Danvers, I fell for you, a little more each time I saw you until I was, am, a total goner. And I'd like to try…with you, if you want? I care about you, a lot."

Kara squeezed the warm hand in hers wanting to say more but opting not to go overboard too soon. "I care about you, too."

"Good, then maybe we can pick things up where we left them." Lena raised a brow.

"That sounds perfect. If I remember right, that was in the middle of a –"

Lena's lips on hers muffled her response.

***

Lena didn’t know how much time had passed, but when she pulled away they were both short of breath.

"Yep, that's where I thought we were," Kara said, a dreamy smile on her face.

Lena would have laughed if she didn’t know she wore a similar expression.

She untangled herself from the mess of limbs they'd created. A blush on her face when she caught sight of where her hand had wandered too. "You should get some rest and I should get some work done."

Before she could get to her feet an explosion outside rattled their windows. Kara shot to her feet, running toward the balcony.

"It's National City Hospital, I have to go."

Lena didn’t argue as Kara changed into her suit and launched off her balcony in seconds.

She called Alex to tell her, but the agent didn’t answer her phone.

Pulling out her computer she sat on the couch with the television on alternating between pretending to work and watching coverage of Supergirl's heroics.

A gas line had blown due to construction work so several buildings needed to be evacuated and checked.

After two hours she gave up the idea of getting anything done and went into the kitchen to make some lunch. She knew when Kara came back she'd be starving.

Her phone rang and she almost broke her ankle running to answer it.

"Hello."

"Are you okay? You sound funny." Alex said.

Lena slumped to the couch, rubbing her foot. "Fine."

"I take it you called earlier to let me know Kara was heading out?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry about it. I knew getting her to take it easy was a long shot, but maybe if you ask her nicely tonight?"

Lena laughed. "I doubt I have that kind of power when she'd determined to do something, but I'll see if I can get her to get some rest tonight."

"Great, by the way, we got a lead on Lillian. Seems she did add something into your systems. A program that feeds information to a server not too far from here. We checked it out but no one was there. Your system is safe now."

Lena perked up at the news. "What information was she sending? And what lead do you have on her?"

"Something to do with genetic manipulation. It was sending in bits and pieces, my guess is she'd hoped you wouldn’t notice."

Lena got to her feet, ignoring the pain in her ankle, and paced. "Do you have any idea where she is now?"

Not this…please not this again.

"No."

Lena pinched the bridge of her nose. "I might. There's a warehouse in Metropolis. 45th and Middleton. Try there and keep whatever you find."

"I'll let you know."

The line went dead and Lena dropped the phone. Her mother and Lex's work on genetics wasn’t a good mix and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

On the television screen, Supergirl waved to the crowd of onlookers before taking off. A few moments later, longer than Lena would have expected, the hero landed on her balcony.

The door slid open and a tired but happy looking Kara stood there.

"Hi."

"Hello." Lena wasn’t sure what protocol was here. Did she hug her? Give her space?

"I should shower. I'm covered in grime."

"Of course…go on. I was making something for you to eat."

Kara clutched her chest. "More favorite words."

Before Lena had a chance to respond the hero disappeared and the sound of running water came from one of the guest bathrooms.

Back in the kitchen, Lena stacked the grilled cheese sandwiches on a plate for Kara.

Kara entered the kitchen bringing with her the scent of lavender. She wore a loose pair of lounge pants and an old college t-shirt.

"Oh, those look fancy."

"Sourdough bread, Swiss cheese, and apple slices – grilled." Lena handed the plate over to Kara.

Lena smiled when she dove in, moaning in pleasure. "You've ruined me for grilled cheese for life now, you know that?"

"All part of my evil plan." She leaned on the counter, sipping her tea.

Kara wiped her hand on a napkin, about to start her third sandwich when she eyed Lena. "You aren't eating?"

She shook her head. "I spoke to Alex. They undid whatever Lillian planned at my office."

"Okay, that's a good thing so why do you look so upset?"

Lena fidgeted with the handle of her cup. "Lex had some rather outlandish ideas when it came to genetics. At first, I think he truly wanted to help people but something twisted inside of him and it turned into a way for him to gain immortality." She pushed her tea away. "He managed to get some samples of your cousin's DNA and combined it with his own. I don’t know what happened, but it would seem Lillian is looking into the project."

She waited for the outburst. For Kara to yell or get mad.

"Okay, we'll just have to wait and see."

Lena chanced a look at Kara. "You're not upset?"

"With you? Why would I be? You aren’t your brother."

"I just…I thought…"

Kara came around the counter and took Lena's hand. "Come on. I'm tired. I'd never admit it to Alex, but I might be more run down than I thought."

She led Lena to the couch and slipped a movie into the DVD player. The next thing she knew, Kara had wrapped the both of them up in the blanket from the back of the couch and was holding her close.

"Is this okay?" Kara asked.

Lena nodded, closing her eyes when a kiss was placed on the top of her head.

She knew this would end eventually, that Kara would go home when she was well.

That work would be more demanding of them both.

That this bubble of domestic bliss would not last.

So, Lena enjoyed it while she could.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters are not mine, just taking them for a spin...

Kara slipped off the couch with care, not wanting to wake Lena. Standing next to it, she took a moment to admire the sleeping woman. Tucking the blanket around her, and readjusting the pillow so the CEO didn’t wake with a cramp, a soft smile formed on her face.

Placing a feather-light kiss on the woman's forehead, Kara left and grabbed her phone. She stepped out onto the balcony, enjoying the last few moments of sun before calling her sister.

"Good job today…are you gonna tell me how wiped you are or lie about it and think I don't know?"

"Thanks, and I'm okay."

"Uh huh."

Kara slipped her glasses off, focusing on the city. "Fine, I was tired but a nap made it all better. Happy?"

"No, I don't like that you've been affected this long. And I really don't like you going out at less than a 100%."

Nothing grabbed her attention, she turned toward the balcony doors. "I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow."

Papers rustled in the background. "Hope so. How are you doing otherwise? How are the current living arrangements?"

Kara eyed the couch. "Great. Lena's an awesome cook."

Alex laughed, "I should have warned her. Now you'll never leave."

"Very funny, but this is temporary. Maybe I can go back to my place tomorrow? You did say a couple of days."

"What's the rush? It's barely been twenty-four hours."

Kara returned to the lounger she'd fallen asleep on the night before. "I don't do well with change, you know that. And maybe we had a talk about us and living with her makes it hard to take things slow. Like…I really enjoy being around and am worried I'm going to annoy her."

"Please, you didn’t see her when you were sick. That woman adores you."

Kara sighed, "Please? I want to do this right, or at as close to it as I can manage."

Alex let out a small laugh. "Okay, come by the DEO tomorrow and I'll see where you're at."

"Thanks."

She hung up, staring at the sky. Nervous energy thrummed through her. Being less active than usual left her antsy. The nap did help, she wasn’t lying about that. Getting to her feet she shot into the air flying around until she found herself above Greece.

Fifteen minutes later she landed outside Lena's penthouse and let herself in.

"Hey. I was wondering where you'd…flown off to." Lena stood there, a hesitant smile on her face.

Kara held up the food. "I figured since you still had work to do the least I could do was get us dinner."

Lena headed toward the kitchen, Kara following her.

"Let me guess, that's authentic Greek, right?"

Handing over the bags, Kara grinned. "Only the best for you."

"Are you trying to charm me, Kara Danvers?"

Kara quirked a brow. "Depends, is it working?"

"Like I'd tell."

With a smile, Kara helped unpack the food and dish it onto plates.

***

Lena nibbled at the baklava. "This might just be the best I've ever had. You have to tell me the name of the place."

"Pretty sure they don't deliver. But, I'll make you a deal, whenever you're craving it let me know and we'll make a night of it." She'd almost said date and wondered if she should have.

Tossing her napkin on the table, Lena nodded. "Deal, and since you went above and beyond for dinner, I'll clean up."

Kara didn’t argue, just made her way to the couch and wrapped herself up in the blanket while zoning out on the television.

Lena wondered if the hero was more worn out than she let on. Should she worry? Perhaps call Alex? Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear Kara call out to her until her head popped up over the back of the couch.

"Lena? Your heart's beating a mile a minute, are you okay?"

"Right, you can hear that…I forgot." She tossed the rag she'd been twisting into the sink. "I was just wondering if you were okay. After today…and then getting dinner…"

Kara moved so that her arms hung over the back of the couch as well. "Yeah, I'm good. I just came over here because I know you have work to do and didn’t want to bother you."

"Work, right. I should get to it. Um, if you need anything let me know?" Lena hesitated, not wanting to work but knowing she had to if she wanted her company to succeed.

Kara nodded, then turned her attention back to the television.

Making her way to her office, Lena focused her thoughts. By the time she sat behind her desk she was in CEO mode replying to emails, queries, pointing out errors in analysis results, design flaws, and last but not least approving the new plans for the lab that had been destroyed.

She shut her computer, rubbing her eyes. The ache in her neck told her she'd worked longer than planned, but she had everything done which meant she was all caught up, at least until tomorrow morning.

Wandering into the kitchen to make some tea she froze when she saw Kara sprawled out on the couch.

Was the bed uncomfortable or could the woman sleep anywhere?

Lena made two teas, then nudged Kara's leg. "Hey, wake up."

Sleepy blue eyes glanced around the room. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope, come on." She headed toward the balcony, leaving the door open.

A second later the lounger next to her was occupied. She handed over the mug of tea and relaxed, her hands wrapped around her own cup.

"Get your work done?"

"I did. You get some rest?"

Kara chuckled. "I did. I feel better."

"Sorry I woke you, but I didn’t think you'd want to sleep there all night."

Kara turned her head toward Lena. "True, that bed is mighty comfy. I might take it with me when I leave."

Lena grinned, her eyes remaining fixed on the sky above. "You can have it."

"It would take up half of my apartment!"

"Well, anytime you want to use it, it'll be here." She blushed at how her words could be interpreted.

Kara's face softened. "Tomorrow's Wednesday, right?"

"All day." Lena cringed at the joke.

"Dork."

"What can I say, you bring it out in me."

Kara's gaze returned to the city and Lena wondered how much the hero had to concentrate to focus on this conversation, on the city, on anything.

"I know this is probably driving you crazy, but the DEO will find Lillian and you can get your life back."

That was not what she was expecting to hear. She took a few moments to analyze the words, parse them, search out the hidden meaning.

"And that has something to do with what day it is?"

Kara blushed. "Right, I'm going in to have Alex give me a once over. Hopefully, I get the all clear and can get out of your hair."

Lena forced a smile. "Oh, that soon?" She didn’t bother trying to control the beating of her heart. The thought of Kara going back to her place left her incredibly sad.

For someone who loved her solitude and alone time, having Kara here didn’t bother her in the least. In fact, she was going to miss her a whole lot more than she wanted to admit.

"You've been taking excellent care of me."

***

Kara picked up on the change in Lena's tone but didn’t know what it meant. She opened her mouth to ask when her phone rang. She zipped inside returning to the balcony a second later.

"Hey, what's up?" She cupped a hand over the phone and mouthed Alex at Lena's raised brow.

"You need to get in here with Lena."

"Everything okay?"

"Just get in here."

"You up for a ride?"

Lena motioned toward the sky with her hand and Kara nodded.

"Let me put something warmer on first."

A few moments later she reappeared in a thick black sweater with a coat and jeans. Kara made sure to go slow and careful with Lena. And if she enjoyed the sensation of Lena wrapping her arms around her neck and tucking her head in the crook of Kara's neck, so be it.

They landed on the small area outside the DEO reserved for Kara and J'onn. They headed in together, hand in hand, Alex waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Come on."

Kara tried to break the tense atmosphere. "What's going on?"

Once they were settled in one of the conference rooms, Alex spoke.

"We sent a team into the warehouse Lena gave us the address for; it would seem that was the plan all along. They left us just enough time to grab a computer, listen to their message, and then they blew the place up." Alex hit a button and the display on the wall lit up.

The static-laden image Cadmus liked to use appeared and a garbled voice started.

_"We warned you. You didn’t listen. We tried to get rid of them. You stopped us. Now, we're at war."_

The video cut off.

"What else was there? You said something about a computer?" Lena asked.

Alex nodded. "Data mostly, but we know they already got what they needed from you when they broke into L-Corp." Alex slid a tablet toward them.

Kara pulled it closer, scanning the information. Her eyes going wide.

"This can't be…why would they do…"

Lena took it when Kara stopped talking.

Alex moved next to her sister. "That's why I called you in here. That's why we're in this room. I don't know how much time you have, but with Lena helping, you might be able to find them first."

"Is this what I think it is?" Lena asked.

"Yeah…your mom created or plans to create a clone of me using my DNA and combining it with yours." Kara got to her feet, pacing the room.

"Why would she do that? And from the looks of it, she based it off what Lex did or tried to do. I'm still trying to access the files to see how far he got." Lena set the tablet down, her face pale.

"We'll sort it out. They can't be that far along. Probably haven’t created anything yet. I mean they just got the techniques necessary to do it." Kara placed a reassuring hand on Lena's shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"But why would she do that? Why use me? It makes no sense."

Kara's forehead wrinkled. "She knows I'd never hurt you…or any incarnation of you."

Lena stared at her, not saying anything.

Kara didn’t know if it would be okay, but she would do everything in her power to make sure it was. The thought of what Lillian might have done…that there might be the possibility of a child. Only Alex truly understood what that meant to Kara.

When she'd first landed, the last thing on her mind was the future. She had a hard enough time fitting in. As she got older, she started to imagine what having a family might be like because that's what's she was supposed to want. That's what normal people did.

However, one night while talking with her cousin, he broke the news to her that they weren't compatible with humans. Not that it would have mattered. Alex had explained to her that her cells absorbed energy and made her very much a girl of steel meaning she could never carry a child of her own.

Kara didn’t let it get her down, adoption was always an option, but now…

Lena glanced at her. "None of this is okay. None of what my mother did is okay. All she does is hurt people and she won't stop. Whatever this thing is she wants to create, we have to stop her."

Alex interrupted them "You need to go now. Try and track them down. Kara, use your skills and, Lena, use your resources."

Kara looked at her sister. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

Alex went up to Kara. "Because I know what the DEO will do if they find them first. And on the off chance Lillian did manage to start something…it's your decision what happens to it. It's your one chance, Kara. How could I do any less?"

Tears pooled in Kara's eyes and she hugged her sister. "Thank you."

"What? You would actually keep it…you can't be serious? It'd be a monster." Lena said.

Lena's words hurt, but Kara ignored them for now. She had a lunatic to track down before the DEO.

***

Lena eyed Kara. They hadn't spoken since they'd arrived back at the penthouse almost an hour ago. The hero stood on the balcony, the early morning sun shining down on her, hair whipping around her face, eyes closed as she concentrated.

Accessing Lex's old files had been easy. Decrypting them was a different story. He must have been in the final stages of his paranoia because each password she'd encountered was more deluded and nonsensical than the last.

The only thing she had going for her was she'd known him. His likes and dislikes, his passions. Not that it was a huge advantage, but it was enough to put them ahead of the DEO.

For now.

While she waited for her program to crack yet another block, she wondered what Kara was upset about.

Did she really want to save some sort of hybrid that Lillian created? Why? Nothing that woman devised would ever end well. Not to mention they didn’t even know what it would be. A clone? An evil super-powered being? Part Lena…part Luthor?

The only thing she knew for sure is that it would be meant to hurt people and Lena couldn’t support that.

She scratched the back of her neck, wincing at the ache.

"How are you doing?"

Lena's eyes popped open. "Fine. You?"

Kara turned her eyes toward a bookcase. Her hero pose looking out of place on a Kara Danvers wearing worn jeans and a pale blue t-shirt.

"I haven’t heard anything, but I'll keep listening. Might go out for a quick patrol later."

Lena didn’t miss the fact that her question had not been answered. Nor did she not notice the strange wall that had grown between them in such a short time. Part of her understood why Kara would be mad at her. Lillian messing around yet again with other people's lives, and this time making a clone of Kara. She couldn’t imagine how the woman felt.

"I'm sorry for what she did…it's terrible."

Kara's head snapped in her direction. "No, it's not. I know her intentions are far from noble, but whatever she's doing…it isn’t a monster, it isn’t terrible, there's nothing wrong with it."

Lena got to her feet, hands on her desk. "How can you say that? It's being cooked up in a lab. Put together with bits of me and you. It's not…normal…not human…"

"I should go."

And with that, Kara sped out of Lena's office before the woman had a chance to stop her.

What was she saying wrong? Why wouldn’t Kara talk to her?

Heading toward the kitchen two hours later, after getting through the last barrier, Lena saw the door to Kara's room open. She noted it was cleared out, the bed made. A sinking feeling hit her in the gut.

Roaming around, she noted all traces of Kara were gone.

On the coffee table, she found a short note.

_Lena,_

_I understand how you feel. But I do not feel the same._

_On Krypton things were different. I was created in a lab. Genetically designed to excel at science._

_I'm only telling you this because I realize how much it would disgust to find out later and it's better to get it out now._

_If Lillian did do something. I won't harm it. I can't._

_It would be the only way for a part of me to live on and as someone who has literally lost everything, that means more to me than you can ever understand._

_I've gone back to my place and hope you will forward me any information you find._

_K_

 

Her heart sank at the words.

She'd never thought of it from Kara's point of view. Being one of the last of her kind.

She picked up her phone and dialed Kara's number. Of course, it went to voicemail. She sent a text asking her to call her back as soon as she could.

Five minutes later, Lena was at her door ready to walk out when a light knocking on her balcony stopped her.

Her breath hitched when she saw the expression on Kara's face. She'd never seen her so down. Her normally vivid blue eyes were full of sadness.

Waving her in, she tried to organize her thoughts. She walked toward the couch.

"Did you find something? You could have just sent it." Kara avoided eye contact.

"First, I'd like to say sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. Now, please sit down so we can talk about this. I'm not going to lose you over my fears, or insecure knee-jerk reactions, okay?"

Finally, blue eyes met green. They sat on opposite ends of the couch but to Lena, it felt like miles.

"But you said –"

Lena held up a hand. "I said a lot of things. And I said them because I have no idea why you would be okay with a mini version of you mixed up with me by my mother. I'm…come on, can you really tell me that it doesn't worry you?"

"Not at all. I've believed in you from day one. That first moment we met I knew. And the more I get to know you, the more I lo…well you know. You carry the burdens of your last name, but the thing is they're not yours. You make up for what your family did. You go out there every day and try to make this world a better place."

Her heart skipped a beat at the words. How this super being had so much faith in her, she'd never know.

"You come from an advanced civilization. It would only make sense that things were done differently there. Your parents created you out of love. And it's so obvious, just look at you. You're brave, kind, thoughtful, smart, and so many other things I'm still learning about. I could never be disgusted by you. I shouldn’t have said it that way…I meant it's not the same with Lillian, that's my problem. Nothing she does is good. Everything she touches goes to hell. I don’t trust her. "

Kara fidgeted with her fingers. "Do you trust me?"

"Absolutely."

"Then let's find her first, and see what she did. Then we'll talk more if we need to."

Lena nodded. Things still didn’t feel right between them. She reached for Kara's hand and took it in her own. The hero squeezed back, lightly.

"Did I mess things up between us?"

Kara smiled, small and timid. "No, we just need to work on communication, and I might be a little sensitive about some things."

Lena tugged on her, pulling the two of them closer. "I understand. I am too. But can we promise to talk about them in the future? No leaving like that…it bothers me. I worry you won't come back."

"Yeah, we can talk and I'm sorry about leaving but I thought…I couldn’t handle it if you looked at me with revulsion in your eyes after knowing I was made in a lab after what you said."

"Nothing about you will ever make look at you negatively. Nothing." Lena leaned forward, unable to wait one more minute before kissing this woman in front of her.

Their hands came up to each other's faces, caressing and reassuring. It was soft, sweet, and held the promise of more to come. When they pulled away, both were breathing hard, faces flushed.

 

Lena kissed her again, a quick peck. "I'm trying my best, but I can't promise I won't screw up again."

A laugh escaped Kara. "I'm pretty sure I will, too. But just know I love you. I've wanted to say that for a long time."

Her heart rate picked up at the words and she knew Kara heard from the raised eyebrow on her face.

A beep from the office halted their conversation. "Well, Lex's files are decrypted. Want to take a look?"

"Let's go."

***

Kara's chest uncoiled while she read over the information Lena had found.

The CEO went to work tracing a location based off of materials and chemicals that would be needed. Something about shipping logs and hacking things she shouldn't be.

Stepping out of the office she sent a text to Alex to ask her to make sure thee DEO wasn't monitoring Lena's personal computers at the moment.

A minute later Alex texted her back saying that she had made sure Lena could do what she needed without fear.

Taking a breath, Kara went into the kitchen to make them some tea. She knew it was Lena's beverage of choice and she'd had way too much coffee in the last twenty-four hours.

Picking out a nice berry mix, she poured the boiling water into two mugs.

Thoughts of what happened earlier came back to her and she swallowed against them. She was sure she'd lost Lena and it had crushed her. The look in the CEO's eyes when talking…Kara couldn’t get it out of her head.

She knew the chances were slim that Lillian would have the time to do anything, but if she did, Kara would do whatever it took to keep that creation safe. She just hoped it didn’t cost her Lena.

"Kara, I got it."

Lena appeared, eyes bright, hair messy, glasses on the bridge of her nose, clothes rumpled.

"What?"

"I know where she is."

Kara pushed a mug across the counter. "Where?"

"You have to take me with you."

Kara shook her head. "It's too dangerous."

"For you, too. I know you're not fully recovered."

"I mostly am, and that's very different."

Lena raised a brow. "You won't have the DEO to back you up. Take me with you. They have weapons that can hurt you."

Rounding the counter, Kara put her hands on Lena's face. "I can't. I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to you."

"How do you think I feel? I watched you almost die! I held you as you…"

Kara brought their foreheads together. "I'll be careful, and if at any point I think I can't handle it, I'll leave. Deal?"

Lena pursed her lips. "Promise? If you don't feel well you leave. If they pull out anything with Kryptonite, you're out of there."

"Yes."

"Fine, but if anything happens to you…"

Kara kissed her. "Trust me; I'm coming back to you."

"You better, she's at an old factory off of Highway 7 near the airport, now get out of here and stop her."

"Will do."

And with that, Kara was off.

  


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters are not mine, just taking them out for a spin...

Kara hovered near the location Lena had given. The moment she heard their radio communications she ducked down and kept her distance. She counted thirty heartbeats. When she tried to focus closer she noted that several structures had been lined with lead.

Lillian had prepared.

She went over her options.

Storming the place and hoping for the best probably wasn’t ideal.

Taking out the surveillance and then the guards one by one would work if she knew where everything was and time wasn’t an issue.

A sigh escaped her as she ran her hands through her hair.

"Hey, need some help?"

Kara turned to look at her sister. "What? How did you know?"

Alex quirked a brow. "Are you kidding? Like Lena would be okay with you coming here on your own."

Kara hid her face to hide the blush. "I don’t want you hurt or in trouble. You’ve been there before, remember?"

Alex walked up so they were shoulder to shoulder. "Are you really asking if I remember almost being shipped off to a facility that planned to experiment on me? Cuz yeah, it rings a bell."

"Then you know why you shouldn’t be here." Kara crossed her arms.

"I'm here, deal with it."

"They have over two dozen guards and some pretty fancy security."

Alex laughed. "I'm fancier, I found you after all." She held up a device with dots data streams running along the bottom.

"You traced my phone."

"That too. But this place has lead lining and that chemical signature we hate so much…Kryptonite."

Kara kicked a rock by her foot. "I figured as much."

Alex swatted her in the stomach, and Kara felt the straps of the absorption device Winn had made. "Does it work?"

"No, I thought I'd give you a broken one and hope you didn’t notice." She glared at Kara. "Of course it does, I fixed it."

"Thanks."

Alex helped her strap it on and she hoped it lasted longer than it did the last time she used it.

"So, I've signal jammers to cover their communications. And based off of satellite imagery I can say with a lot of confidence that the building we want to get into is the most heavily guarded, lead-lined, and I know nothing else."

Kara bit her lip. "So, not a problem then. You jam their radios and I take out the guards and we meet up at the building?"

Alex grinned. "Yep, this reminds me of when I went after dad. It's gonna be fun."

Kara smirked. "Try not to get stuck on a ship about to launch itself across the galaxy this time?"

Alex took a few steps forward. "I make no promises."

Kara caught the earbud and put in place while they moved closer to their destination.

"Here, take these and set them where they'll create the most distraction when they go off. I'll see ya in a few."

"Thanks. I love you." Kara wrapped Alex in a hug, a tad too tight but neither complained.

When they parted she placed the bombs at the base of two tall towers, under a truck, and on an electrical panel then took out as many guards as she could without blowing their cover. Keeping an ear on Alex, she smiled when she heard her holding her own.

An explosion launched a car into the air on her left and she knew that their presence was no longer a secret. Not that the several lasers targeting her weren’t a big clue as well. She took them out along with a few mounted guns.

Thugs streamed out of two of the side buildings that were lined with lead. The first Kryptonite bullet hit her in the chest, and thankfully, the device worked.

She made sure to move quick and fast. However, she still got tagged with a few strays and then the device took the brunt of a grenade blast and fell to the ground.

The glowing green shards around her caused her to fall to her knees, but she didn’t stop fighting. Clearing out the last of them she pulled a bullet out of her thigh, side, and shoulder.

Then the ground rumbled beneath her and the spotlights that had gone on a minute ago went dark when the panel behind her burst into a collection of sparks and flames.

She checked in on Alex, happy to note she was kicking ass.

Ten minutes later she met her in front of the main warehouse.

"Glad you made it," Kara said. "Can you get it out?" She turned her back to show a bullet hole.

Alex dug in. "Sorry if this hurts. Any others or are you good?"

"I'm good." A strange feeling settled over Kara. "That was too easy."

Alex, covered in sweat and sporting a split lip, chuckled. "Easy? You consider that easy?"

"Yeah, it was. Lillian wanted us to find her and I don’t know why."

Dabbing at a cut above her eye, Alex pulled out her alien gun. "Well, let's ask."

Kara kicked in the door. It flew thirty feet back taking out five guards.

Inside, electrical wires hummed and water sloshed in pipes below ground.

Kara took a cautious step then another.

"Okay, I'm starting to think something's up," Alex said.

Kara held out a hand and caught a projectile of some kind that had been headed for her sister. She crushed it in her hand.

"Hmm, really? Lillian really is nuts," Alex murmured.

A monitor lit up with the grainy CADMUS face.

"I've been waiting for you Supergirl. Thanks so much for coming."

Kara blasted the screen when it went blank.

She scanned the area finding a door with a void behind it. She tore it off its hinges and stared down the dark passageway.

"Let's go," she huffed out/

Alex put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yep, let's go."

Kara moved but made sure to keep her senses on high alert for Alex as well. When she reached the bottom of the corridor she was met with another door. This one had no lock, only a handle, but was one hundred percent lead. Not taking any chances she forced it open, not allowing anyone behind it to gain even a second on her.

A hand reached out and gripped her around the neck. Cyborg Henshaw's eye lit up and blasted her in the face. She let out a scream, breaking free of his grip and tossing him into one of the support columns. A large crack forming in the center.

"Alex, find Lillian."

Her sister looked torn until Kara begged her. "Please, get her."

At that moment a punch in the back brought her to her knees. Her stomach rebelled, not from pain but from something she was becoming all too familiar with.

"Can't fight me without cheating?"

The cyborg's face didn’t change, nor did he respond, other than to kick her in the side and send her sliding across the room taking out the base of yet another support column.

She took the opportunity to use her heat vision and blast the Kryptonite laced brass knuckles on his hand.

He cocked his head, pulling on another pair as he sped toward her.

On her feet by the time he got there she blocked the first two punches, delivering a well-placed one to his mid-section. An elbow to the nose knocked her off balance and she grabbed onto him bringing him down with her.

Ribs cracked underneath one of his punches and she grimaced in pain. Grabbing hold of his wrist she held his arm above his head and used her heat vision to burn the metal mask on his face.

An agonized scream erupted from his throat when a glob of metal dripped down and covered the lens of his cybernetic eye. A quick blast of her freeze breath and the oozing metal solidified.

He shoved her off delivering another punch that connected with her cheek. She felt the bone beneath give way.

They stood there, delivering blows back and forth, swaying on their feet until Lillian entered.

"That's enough."

Cyborg Henshaw backhanded her one final time with a half smirk before heading to the side of the woman.

Glancing around with one good eye, Kara tried to find her sister.

"She's fine. Don’t worry. I promised Jeremiah I'd never hurt her."

"Where is she?"

Lillian took a step forward, her hand pulsating that sickly green color Kara grew to hate more and more.

"There are more important things to discuss." She pulled a device the size of a keychain out of her pocket. "You know what I planned to do. It's important to you, that's why you're here."

Kara shook her head, clearing it. "You couldn’t have…not enough time."

Lillian smiled but it held no warmth. "I would think by now you would have learned not to underestimate me."

"Why would you…and why do you want me to know?"

"Well, to answer the first part…because I can and I improved upon the first models. As to the second part…that's for you to find out."

Kara straightened, ready to do what it took to take the woman down.

Lillian shook her head then Kara heard the flip of a switch and several timers started their countdown.

"You have two choices. Find your sister and get out of here with some precious cargo or continue to fight with my cyborg and try to take me in…although you have five minutes, so I'd decide quickly if I were you."

Cyborg Henshaw eyed her. She could take him but didn't know if she could do it in five minutes, especially after the beating she'd just taken.

Without another thought she left the room, zeroing in on Alex's heartbeat. She found her in twenty seconds. Unconscious on the floor of a lab. The sloshing noises from earlier and the electrical humming emanated from this room.

In the center was a vat.

In the vat was a tiny thing, no bigger than a pea.

Kara knew exactly what it was.

"Alex, are you okay?" She knelt beside her sister checking for injuries.

"Ow. That bitch hit me from behind." She rubbed the back of her head.

Kara helped her sister to her feet. "We need to get out of here."

Alex rubbed her head and started toward the door.

"Wait, we need to take this with us."

Her sister turned, eyes widening. "Whoa, is that what I think it is...she did it? How?"

"Later, how do we get it out of here and not damage anything."

"I'll need some time to look at it and make sure we can." Alex examined the front panel.

"We have to do it and we have about three minutes left."

Alex sighed. "Bombs? Why is it always bombs? Man, I hate her. Okay, it looks like they made sure it could operate independently for a short period. That's a battery backup. Kara, the minute you take this thing out of here you have to find somewhere to hook it up and the only place..."

Kara placed her hands on the side of the vat, ignoring the pain in her body. "I know. The DEO. Let's go."

***

Lena stared at her phone willing it to ring or alert her to a text or divine the future at this point. Usually, she hated the damn thing but now, she wished for it to do anything.

She'd left a message with Jess telling her that she was taking the day off and would speak to her tomorrow. But that was when she thought things were okay.

An easy mission she had convinced herself as if there was such a thing.

Kara had left three hours ago.

Alex said she would be there to back her up.

Kara had promised she'd avoid danger.

She sighed knowing the two of them had vastly different ideas as to what the definition of danger was.

Clutching the phone close to her chest she paced the hallway that led from her office to the balcony.

Back and forth.

Again and again.

If something happened…

No, she couldn’t start thinking that way.

Kara was fine.

However, other thoughts crept into her mind and she started to wonder if she was strong enough to live like this.

Always worrying.

Always wondering.

Never knowing if this was the time Kara wasn’t going to come home.

She glanced at the screen again.

Nothing.

Her eyes itched from lack of sleep and her body trembled from nerves and exhaustion.

A text.

"I'm okay. At the DEO. Will call you later."

Lena didn’t know how to take that. She wandered to the room Kara had used for those few short days and settled herself on the bed, Inhaling Kara's scent she remembered the other woman had packed up her stuff and gone home.

She didn’t know when she'd see her again and that bothered her.

A lot.

Her phone buzzing next to her woke her a few hours later. A quick glance out the window let her know it was dark out.

Crap, she hadn't meant to sleep.

Though, she didn’t know if nightmares in which Kara died in various ways and she was helpless to stop it counted as sleep.

Wiping the grit from her eyes she swiped her phone and scanned the calls and texts to find any from the person she needed to hear from.

Nothing.

Her stomach flipped and she knew something was wrong. She was about to send a text to Alex when the doorbell in her apartment went off.

Stumbling to her feet she went to the front door and saw Kara's sister standing there.

Lena hit the button and watched the woman open the door. Moments later a very unhappy looking agent strode toward Lena.

"She's fine…mostly. The DEO has her." Alex headed toward the living room. "She took all the blame by the time I got there. And I knew I wouldn’t do her any good if I was stuck inside with her…so here I am." She turned to Lena, a confused expression on her face.

"Can we back up a bit? Start from the beginning." Lena went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee.

"Okay, so I went there as soon as I got off the phone with you…"

Lena listened to Alex tell the story. Cringing at how Kara had been shot, attacked by the cyborg, and then had to choose between Lillian and her creation. She didn’t know what upset her the most. Was she sad? Angry? Worried?

This was all so new to her and having it all happen at once was overwhelming at best.

"What happened at the DEO?"

Alex sipped from her mug, wincing when her lip cracked open. Lena handed her a napkin.

"From what I can tell she told them Lillian tracked her down and had me as a prisoner to make sure she kept her mouth shut. Kara begged them to power up the incubator your mom made and in turn would do whatever they asked of her." Alex rubbed her forehead.

A chill ran down Lena's spine. "What does that mean? Is she their prisoner? A servant? Will they punish her?"

"I don't know. Probably not. "Alex blew out a breath. "J'onn has to take her at her word because he can't read her mind."

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Mind reading?"

"Long story. But for now Kara is healing and the DEO has agreed to look after everything…for now."

Lena swallowed. "Healing? She said she was okay earlier."

"She is for the most part, but that synthetic Kryptonite your mom gassed her with has had some sort of effect on her healing ability."

"Right, can I help? I might be able to figure it out."

"I'd appreciate that."

"So, she did it. My mother made…a thing."

Alex's eyes shot up to her. "She made a clone of Kara and combined your DNA with it. It is not a thing."

"Sorry, I just don't know how to process all of this or why Kara cares so much. It's not like she can't have a child of her own. We could figure out a way."

Alex's eyes filled with sadness. "She can't. That's why this is so important to her. This might be her one chance to have a family of her own. To have someone to share herself with, her real self. To pass on her culture to."

Lena set her hands on the table, realization dawning on her. This was about so much more to Kara. This was what she had meant when she said it might be her only way...Lena had just assumed…she looked so human…but of course, there might be issues. And Kara was so loving and gentle; it almost seemed a crime for her not to have a family. She felt like an idiot.

"Well, if this is important to Kara it's important to me. What do we do to make it happen?"

Alex smirked. "I knew I liked you." Getting to her feet Alex pulled Lena along with her. "Are you willing to play the Luthor card?"

"If it'll help Kara, I'll do whatever you want me to."

***

Kara stretched her arms above her head, wincing at the pain in her side. The sunbed was helping, but as Alex had suspected, the original blast of Kryptonite that had hit her in the labs was slowing down her recovery.

Her suit lay on the back of the visitor chair and someone had put her in a pair of soft cotton pants and a plain white shirt. Probably Alex.

Pulling herself into a sitting position a pained gasp escaped her.

"What are you doing?" J'onn stood in the doorway, arms crossed.

"I'm not trying to escape if that's what you're worried about."

"You're in no condition for that. You need to rest."

"I want to see…I need to see it."

He let out a sigh. "Kara…"

Her lip trembled. "Please."

"Fine, but you're still in trouble."

She grinned, not caring about that.

He helped her make her way down the hallway, into an elevator, and down three levels. They approached a door with several security measures in place to gain entrance.

Once inside, she saw it. A tiny little being floating in a semi-clear liquid. Her heart pounded at the implications of it. What it could mean if it was true. What would she do? What would Lena think?

"Is…is everything healthy?"

J'onn moved to the back. "Hard to say, we know very little about this particular technology. Your sister did seem to think that everything was fine from her preliminary analysis."

Kara put a hand on the glass, then leaned her forehead onto it.

So much could go wrong.

So much could go right.

"What do you think will happen?"

He came around from the back and gazed into the fluid with her. "I'm not sure. You said that Lillian told you she improved on different models?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah, I don't think this is the first one."

"Then we need to know what this has the potential of becoming. I'd say the best course of action is to let it mature, keep an eye out for any anomalies, and go from there."

"But we won't…kill it or treat it like a prisoner, right?"

He bowed his head. "I truly hope not and I will always be on your side."

She turned teary eyes to him. "Thank you."

"It's not a guarantee, but it's the best I can give you right now. I did buy you some time. I haven't reported everything yet."

"It's more than I had expected. So, what now?"

"Heal up and go home."

Her brow crinkled. "But I'm in trouble."

"Kara, we're not going to keep you prisoner nor do I plan to punish you for doing what you thought was right." He touched the glass a moment, a sad smile on his face. "In your position, I can't say I would have done any differently. But I do have to kind of act mad at you in front of the others."

 _"Director Henshaw, Agent Danvers is here with Lena Luthor. They want to know where Supergirl is."_ A female voice crackled over the radio.

"Tell them we'll be up in a moment." J'onn put an arm around Kara's shoulders. "Let's go before your sister tears this place apart."

***

Lena stood in the Director's office. Game face on.

"Hi."

She spun at the sound of Kara's voice and barely restrained herself from reaching out to touch her.

"Hi. Are you okay?"

Kara shrugged, moving toward Alex and leaning on her a moment before sagging into a chair. "I'm a bit banged up but getting better."

Alex raised a brow. "You look the same as when I left." She poked Kara in the side. "Those ribs haven't healed and you still have cuts and bruises. You're off duty. Understand me? That crap Kryptonite Lillian makes is messing with you."

"Fine."

Lena knew Kara had to be in a lot of pain to agree so easily. The sunny smile on her face not quite reaching her eyes.

"Ms. Luthor, is there a reason you're here?" the director asked.

"Yes, you have certain Luthor Corp technology on the premises and I want to see it. I also want to either take it back to my facility where I can monitor it or have your assurance that nothing will happen to it and I will have access to it at any time, as well as Kara. And speaking of Kara, she will not be held here nor punished for her actions."

The director glared at her, but she saw a hint of something in his eyes. Respect?

"You do know this is a secret government organization and you are here because I allow it?"

Squaring her shoulders she met his gaze. "You do know I have the resources to make this a PR nightmare? The government using stolen technology developed by Lex Luthor. I also happen to have a legal team that will have me running this place within a week if you try anything untoward. Not to mention how would National City react to their hero being punished for saving a life."

Out of the side of her eye, she saw Kara grin.

"I have a few restrictions that are non-negotiable, Ms. Luthor. You are to be with someone at all times when you are with the item. You are not to tell anyone about it or its contents. You will share what you know about this technology to ensure that nothing happens or goes wrong. I also want an analysis done by you comparing this to prior projects done by your brother. And, if the time comes when a decision needs to be made, Kara gets the final say."

Lena didn’t hesitate. "Agreed."

That went a lot easier than she'd imagined. She glanced at Alex, who shrugged. Kara appeared tired and weak and it tore at Lena, she wanted nothing more than to get the hero out of here and at home healing.

"I think we can trust each, Ms. Luthor. We don’t need paperwork do we?"

"No."

"Good, now get out of my office and help Ms. Danvers."

Lena helped Kara to her feet, letting her rest an arm across her shoulders.

"I'm glad you came."

"Of course I did. I was worried."

Kara glanced at the floor while they walked. They reached a hallway and turned down it, entering a room lit only by two sun beds. Lena recalled when Kara had been lying on one of them a week ago fighting for her life.

She sucked in a breath, fighting the negative thoughts and what if scenarios. Kara was beside her. Kara was fine.

"How mad is he?" Alex asked.

Kara grunted when she sat on the table. "Not as mad as you'd think."

"So, I still have a job? Because he sure as hell can read my mind and knows what you said was a lie."

Kara laid back and settled herself on the pillow. "I think he gets it."

Lena fidgeted with her hands, not sure what to do. "He can read my mind? Why did you have me do that, Alex? He knew I was bluffing."

"Doesn’t matter, he could tell you would do anything to help Kara and that goes a long way."

Lena didn’t know how to feel about that. "How long will you be here?"

Kara reached for her and Lena grabbed her hand, standing as close as she could.

"I need to run a few tests and then she'll be back at Casa Luthor."

"Oh, she's staying at her place now," Lena offered, looking away from Kara when she remembered their fight.

Alex shook her head. "Well, is there a reason? Like does one of you snore? Because if Kara isn’t going back to your place I'll need to sit on her to prevent her from doing anything and I don't have the energy right now."

"No, she's more than welcome to come back to my place."

Lena and Alex glanced at Kara who had fallen asleep.

"She's a lot more run down than she'll admit and that has me worried. Can you stay with her for a few while I get some stuff?"

"Of course."

Lena made herself as comfortable as possible in the guest chair. She brushed a lock of hair out of Kara's face, then ran a hand down her cheek avoiding a cut and a nasty looking bruise.

Alex reappeared with a bunch of gear in hand. "I have to run some tests, might take a couple of hours. I thought you might like to go and see what the fuss is about."

"You mean the…I don't know what to call it."

Alex bit her lip then winced. "Hmm, right now we're referring to it as the incubator. But we should come up with something better."

Lena was torn between leaving Kara's side in case something happened and seeing what her mother had created.

Alex took a few swabs and set to work, computer screens analyzing data.

"Come on, she'll be out for a bit."

With reluctance, Lena let go of Kara's hand and followed Alex.

They ended up in a make-shift lab. The item in the center getting all of her attention.

Her first reaction was disgust with her mother. That she would do something like this to Kara, to her. Again, she hated how much her family hurt other people. However, she knew in this instance she had the ability to turn it into something that could make Kara happy.

"Based on what I read the gestation period is shorter. Lex used a growth hormone he synthesized. I can't be too exact, but I'd say we're looking at five to six months if Lillian followed along and then it goes into stasis."

Alex led her to the side. A tangle of wires and tubes hung loosely.

"Kara didn’t have much time. I want you to make sure it's hooked up right."

Lena followed them with her eyes and something occurred to her. "This is self-sustaining nutrition wise but not power wise."

She frowned, not understanding why such a change in the design would be made.

"Does it matter?"

Lena nodded. "The last project indicated the…whatever…was still in a stasis of some kind. This one doesn’t have that set-up. It will be…born? And there's no stopping it."

Alex fidgeted with a button and Lena pulled her hand away.

"Is that an issue? That's how it's supposed to work, right?"

Lena pursed her lips.

"Nothing about this is standard, but I do know Lex designed it that way for a reason. Something to do with…oh, I get it."

Alex turned to her. "Wanna share?"

"Nurture. The first one had aggression issues. It was released at a later age. Lex suspected it had to do with a lack of care? He wasn’t able to control it and there were problems with his design and it slowly died."

Alex's face paled. "That won’t happen to this one, right? Kara wouldn’t be able to handle that."

Lena pulled off her coat and grabbed a set of tools from a table on the side of the room. "No, that's not going to happen. I need you to analyze the liquid; I need to know exactly what's in it."

She got lost in the science of it all. Her hands stripping wires and reconnecting power cells. Going over the data Alex handed her. Making small adjustments here and there.

Wiping a hand across her brow she glanced up from her position on the floor to stare at the tiny creation suspended in the incubator.

Part her and part Kara.

A mix of the two of them.

Knowing her mother, it would be the traits she felt were the most important.

Placing a hand on the bottom of the clear glass she knew without a doubt that her life was about to change in a big way.

"Hey, you two"

Kara stood in the doorway, a hand on her side.

"You should be resting." Lena got to her feet, wiping her hands on a rag.

Alex glanced up from what she was reading.

"I woke up and both of you were gone. I got worried." She limped into the room.

Lena pulled a chair out for her. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A bit. Just need a good night's rest."

Alex snorted. "Yeah, more than that, kiddo."

"Is it okay? Did you see it?" Kara stared at it, eyes wide and Lena's heart lurched at the amount of love she saw in those blue eyes and then she almost stopped breathing when those eyes full of all that love were directed at her.

She swallowed. "I did. I made some adjustments. When I get back to my place I'll read over everything once more to be safe. After that, it's just a matter of waiting."

Kara's eyes were still locked with hers, all that love that Lena had missed or refused to see, was still focused on at her.

"Kara, you're staying with Lena for at least the next week. You need the rest and I need to figure out what's affecting you. Plus, it will be easier for you two to visit together." Alex stood, dragging a hand down her face.

"Okay."

With one last look at the tiny being, the three of them made their way out of the room.

Lena wondered why after such a major thing had happened, and things were so different now, everyone was acting the same.

***

Kara let the motion of the car relax her. Lena and Alex talked in the front but she didn’t hear most of what they said.

Pain, a lot of exhaustion, and too much confusion clouded her mind.

She knew she needed to talk to Lena. That what Lillian created had changed things.

Lena and she were so new and at times so tentative with one another. She had no idea if the CEO wanted kids, a family, and everything that entailed, let alone this particular scenario.

All Kara did know was she wouldn’t take the choice away from Lena.

"Kara? We're here."

She glanced around, confused. "Where?"

Alex helped her out of the car. "We're in the underground parking structure near Lena's building. She went to a lot of trouble to keep her place hidden so…"

Kara nodded then accepted Lena's hand as they headed toward a narrow passageway.

"Please, get some rest," Alex said.

"I will," Kara called out over her shoulder.

She followed behind Lena, not having been this exhausted that she could ever remember.

"I'll bet you'll be happy to sleep in that bed tonight."

"Yeah, the sunbeds are great but not exactly comfortable."

Lena hummed. "I should get something like that here for you. It would help right?"

Kara shrugged. "Maybe? Right now they aren’t doing as much. I'm sure it'll be fine though."

Lena punched in a code on a metal panel and a door slid open. An elevator shot them to the top and Kara sighed when she heard the door close behind her. Kicking off her shoes, she let herself plop onto the couch.

Lena lifted her legs up and tucked the blanket around her. Kara closed her eyes, opening them when she smelled something sweet in front of her.

"Here, made you some tea."

Kara backed up so Lena had room to sit. They both sipped at their mugs.

"I'm sorry I worried you."

Lena frowned. "It's hard. I mean I know you're Supergirl and all that, but I still worry."

"Yeah, now you know how I feel." Kara knew this probably wasn’t the best time, but her day had sucked so if this was going to go badly, she'd rather it all just be done.

"I wanted to talk to you about something…I know you haven’t said much one way or the other and like we've barely kissed so it's not like we're married or anything and you don't have to want the same things as me and I would never ask you to…" She trailed off, not sure how to say it.

Lena bit her lip. "Is this the part where we talk about the fact that in a few months there will be a baby that is genetically ours? And how we just started dating like twelve minutes ago…and none of this was planned?"

Kara nodded, not sure what to make of the tone of Lena's voice.

"I won't lie; it’s a lot to take in. And, I'm still processing some things. I have a lot of worries, fears, and insecurities."

Kara reached out her hand and squeezed when Lena accepted it. "Me too. I just want you to know whatever you decide, I'll respect it. You didn't ask for any of this, it's your choice as to how much of it invades your life."

Lena met her gaze. "Come on."

Once again, Kara found herself following Lena. They ended up in Lena's room. The CEO flipped back the covers and pointed.

Kara raised a brow but didn’t argue.

The next thing she knew Lena had changed into a pair of pajamas and was slipping into bed next to her. She rested her head on Kara's chest, her arm laid across Kara's stomach.

"I figured since we have a kid on the way we might want to feel comfortable around one another and secure. I want you to be able to talk to me and not worry and I need the same."

Kara entwined her fingers with Lena's. "I want that too. Tell me…"

"I'm scared if something goes wrong you'll blame me. I worry what Lillian did. I'm terrified that if all does go well I'll be a crap mom. Not to mention things are going so fast but I feel like with you I can handle it and that's scarier than anything. I don't know how to wrap my head around that yet."

Kara tightened her hold. "First, if something goes wrong I won't blame you. I saw how hard you were working tonight and I know despite everything you always do what's right. As for Lillian, we can undo it, whatever it is, we can fix it. We can be crap moms together because I have no idea how to parent either. And yeah, it is fast and that's why I want you to know you have a choice. I'll be with you no matter what."

Lena sighed. "So, we'll figure this out together."

Kara leaned over and placed a kiss on Lena's forehead. "Together."

"I still need to talk about stuff…but right now I just need to feel you close, know you're alive, and get some sleep."

"Whatever you need," Kara said, closing her eyes.

When Lena's breath evened out, Kara whispered, "I love you."

Kara knew what she wanted. She had ever since she'd first laid eyes on the enigmatic CEO.

However, she wasn’t so sure what Lena wanted but she wasn’t going to push.

All she could do was hope.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Kara opened her eyes barely suppressing a moan at the sunlight pouring into the room. She held her arm up to block some of it out, cringing at the pain in her shoulder. A memory of the night before came to her, hazy but clearing the more the cobwebs cleared.

She reached out with her left hand and felt nothing but smooth, cool sheets. Turning her head she realized she was alone in the room.

Blowing out a breath of air, she tried not to stew on the fact she really wanted to wake up next to Lena, to know what that felt like.

Covering her mouth when a jaw-cracking yawn overtook her, a muffled curse made its way to her from the kitchen. She smiled as she stood and made her way toward the cause of the noise.

Kara stood in the doorway while Lena made breakfast. "Morning."

Surprised green eyes turn to her. "Morning, how are you feeling? I didn’t wake you did I?"

"I'm feeling better and nope. How are you?"

"Good, have a seat, it'll be ready soon."

Lena made eggs, pancakes, and bacon that didn’t really taste like bacon, but Kara didn’t say anything and a large plate of cut up fruit that Kara merely raised an eyebrow at but picked at to appease the other woman.

"That was great," Kara said, getting to her feet. "You do whatever while I clean up."

Lena stood at the same time, bumping into Kara's shoulder. "Let me help."

Kara turned her face to hide the wince of pain the contact caused.

Lena dried while Kara washed.

"I have to go into the office today. Will you be all right on your own?"

"Of course."

Lena put the last plate away and headed toward her bedroom. A moment later Kara heard the shower turn on. She walked to the couch, flopping down. She flipped through a magazine to occupy herself knowing if she turned on the news she'd get frustrated at any issue that she was powerless to do anything about.

She rubbed the spot on her shoulder where the Kryptonite bullet had hit. It throbbed today, as did the spot on her back. Lena's voice disrupted her thoughts.

"I'm sorry I have to go in."

"Don't be, you have a company to run. I totally get it."

Lena scrunched up her face. "Do you want me to help you with your bandages or a shower?" She pointed to where Kara's hand was fidgeting.

"No, I'll be fine. You get to work, can't have the boss being late."

"I won't be gone long. I just have a few calls and a meeting that I can't miss." Lena moved toward Kara then stopped.

From her spot on the couch, television remote in hand, Kara waved her off. "Don't worry about it."

Lena smiled. "I'll be home later."

And with that Kara was alone. She pinched the bridge of her nose and peeled the bandage off. The angry red swelling around the wound was not good; she didn’t need Alex to tell her that, though she probably would. In a very loud voice. Several times.

She let out a breath before picking up her phone and calling her sister.

"Hey," Alex answered.

"Hi, so uh…first I need you to promise me you won't worry or get mad."

A sigh. "Kara, you know when you say that, I'm going to worry and get mad. Probably more so."

"Okay, but like… you don't need to."

"What is it? You told me last night you were feeling fine. That is the only reason I let you go home."

"I think that there might be an issue with my healing?"

"Since you're calling me I imagine it's pretty bad? Want me to send someone from the DEO to get you or do you want me to come there?"

Kara knew if she went in her sister would keep her there far longer than necessary and she really wanted to be there when Lena got home.

"Come and assess, please."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Kara turned on the television to distract her from all the thoughts tumbling around in her head. She flipped through several channels before giving up and leaving it on a nature documentary.

Her mind roamed to the DEO and what it contained now. And what that meant for her. Was she ready to be a mom? Would that be her role? How old would it be? A girl or a boy? A girl, most likely. What had Lillian done to it?

As much as she wanted to believe it was a good thing, a voice in the back of her head chimed in every so often whispering that Lillian Luthor wanted this to happen and that was not a good thing.

Insecurity set in then.

What if something went wrong? What if she'd messed up the chamber when she'd yanked it out of the make-shift lab?

What about her and Lena? They were so new and fragile after everything that had happened.

Thinking about losing Lena made her stomach twist.

Then there was the more pressing problem of her body she'd managed to ignore, but sadly, that was no longer possible. She gasped when a simple movement caused a bolt of pain to shoot down her arm.

A knock on the door let her know Alex was there. Getting to her feet she ambled toward it, forcing a smile on her face when she opened it.

"Hey."

Alex looked her up and down, her eyes settling on the bandage. "Don't _hey_ me, you're worse." She held a hand to Kara's forehead. "You're pale, clammy, and you have a fever." She pushed her way in and led Kara by the arm to the couch.

"I don't feel  _that_  bad."

Alex didn’t respond. She removed the bandage with gentle hands, eyes widening at what was revealed.

"We need to get you into the DEO, now."

"But –"

"Don't argue with me. I can't help you here. I need to run tests and you need to be on a sunbed and I need…I need you to be there so we can fix you."

Kara opened her mouth to say something but the glare her sister shot her, stopped anything from coming out.

***

Lena hung up with her counterpart in Tokyo and massaged her temples. What was supposed to be a short conversation turned into a two-hour debate on the direction the company was taking.

She called up her schedule on the computer, happy to note that she was free for the rest of the day. Relatively speaking. A dozen emails needed to be answered and the first one she'd sent upon her arrival still lacked a response, plus she still had to go and check the lab to make sure they were applying the security measures she wanted.

Sending off a quick text to Kara saying she was running behind, she dove into getting her inbox sorted.

"Ms. Luthor, there's a call for you on line two," Jess's voice buzzed through the intercom.

Lena picked up the phone, brow wrinkled in confusion. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Alex. Kara wanted me to let you know she's at the DEO."

A queasy feeling settled in Lena's gut. "Did something happen? Why isn’t she telling me?"

If she left Kara alone and something…

"No, it's the same issue as before, perhaps a bit worse than I thought because someone didn’t tell me how they were really feeling last night. As for why I'm calling, I'm trying to get Kara to rest and she said you weren’t answering her texts and she refused to cooperate until I called you. I need to get back to work, just didn’t want you to worry."

Lena picked up her cellphone, frowning when she noted she'd put it on silent during her teleconference.

"Agent Danvers, would it be all right if I came by? Maybe a second set of eyes will help."

Lena heard something cover the other end of the phone and then distorted voices.

"That's fine, but don't feel obligated to, we know you have a company to run." The exasperated tone did not go unnoticed.

Lena smirked. "I'll be there soon."

She finished all her tasks an hour later and headed toward the lab. Eyeing the area she nodded in approval at their work.

Back in her office, she collected her bag, printed up the documents from legal she'd asked for earlier and headed to the lobby.

She made two stops on her way home then darted up to her place and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt.

Calling the number Alex had given her when Kara was hurt the first time, she waited until a voice informed her a car would pick her up in ten minutes.

The wait, the drive, the walk to Kara's room all took far too long.

Lena, as hard as she tried to focus on the problem, kept thinking about Kara and knew there would be no working until she saw the reporter in person.

***

Kara shifted on the sunbed, annoyed they couldn’t find a way to make them comfortable. She let out an annoyed huff.

"Don't even start, if you had told me yesterday…" Alex glared.

"I said I was sorry. I really thought I just needed some rest."

Alex stood next to her, tablet in hand. "You do, a lot until I sort this out. The Kryptonite levels in your blood haven’t decreased. I need to find out why."

A knock on the door distracted Kara. "Am I interrupting?"

Kara sniffed the air. "Did you bring pot stickers?"

Lena smiled, holding up the bag. "Yep."

"Those are never an interruption, they're an invitation! I love you," Kara said, reaching for them with grabby hands.

Lena hesitated for only a second, but Kara caught it. The three words she'd just uttered, which to her were the easiest in the world to say when it came to Lena, were not ones the CEO was used to, yet.

"Try not to get any on the bed, it's expensive," Alex said.

Kara sat up despite the annoyed expression on her sister's face.

"How was work?"

Lena swallowed before answering. "Fine, the usual. What's going on here?"

Kara shrugged. "Not sure right now, but it's fine."

Alex poked her in the shoulder and Kara yelped. "Hey! That's not nice."

"It wasn’t meant to be, it was meant to remind you that it's not fine."

A concerned look crossed Lena's face. She stood and reached for the bandage and Kara forced herself not to react. With the softest of touches, the other woman peeled back the bandage, her forehead wrinkling.

"This was almost healed last night…what happened? Was it like this when you woke up? Why didn’t you say anything?" The trembling in Lena's hand matched the one in her voice.

Kara reached up and took her hand in her own. "It's going to be okay. Alex is the best at this stuff. She'll figure it out."

Lena nodded. "I'd like to help. I read over some of the notes Lex took during his experimentation."

Alex sagged with relief. "Great, someone else is finally taking this seriously. Kara, you rest, we're going to work."

Kara frowned when Alex left the room after kissing her on the forehead.

"I take this seriously," she said.

Lena quirked a brow. "Probably not as much as you should. Do you need anything before I go?"

Kara shook her head, sighing when Lena squeezed her hand then turned and left the room.

***

Lena rubbed her hands together when she saw Alex's lab. Top of the line, cutting edge, and if her suspicions were right some alien technology.

"How familiar are you with Kara's physiology?" Alex stood in front of a table, several screens with status bars moving at differing paces on them.

"Just the basics."

Alex blew out a breath. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but like basics or Luthor basics."

Lena couldn’t hide the flash of anger on her face.

"I don't mean it in any other way than I need to get you up to speed and I need to know where to start. This is about helping Kara, nothing else."

"Luthor basics," Lena admitted.

"Good, then start here. This is what her blood looks like normally," she pointed to a screen. "This was the day after the gas attack," she pointed to another screen. "And today," she pointed to the third and final screen.

Lena examined the 3-D images floating in front of her. The cells were the same size and hadn't changed in number. The bits of Kryptonite they weren’t able to flush were still floating around…bumping into other cells and draining them of whatever energy they had stored in them.

"Has Kara ever –"

"Been sick? Nope. You saw that too, huh? Her immune response isn’t kicking in. Usually, all it takes is some sun and she's good as new. This stuff is like the flu or something. It's lingering in her system and getting worse because her cells aren't fighting back."

Lena crossed her arms. "Does she have an immune response?"

Alex handed Lena a tablet. "She was genetically engineered to be immune to all illnesses and diseases her people knew of at the time. I don't think they planned for this scenario."

Lena read the data.

"What about a blood transfusion from Superman?"

Alex shook her head. "It would only delay the effect, but we _are_ keeping that option as a last resort."

"So, we need something to counteract the effects."

Alex's hand hovered over two tablets before deciding on one. "Yes, but we're dealing with a synthetic mineral, not a virus…makes it a bit harder."

Lena scrolled through the information. Comparing the various blood test results. Every time Kara exerted herself in some way and used up the energy stored in her cells, she got worse. If the calculations were accurate, Kara had only a few days before her situation became dire.

Kara's sudden illness and the creation below didn’t seem like a coincidence. "We need to look at the genetic research Lillian used to make the…you know, downstairs."

Alex side-eyed her. "Why?"

Lena held up her hands, her thoughts racing a mile a minute. "She isn't stupid. Oh, I should have known this is what it was about…She wanted this thing to be her pet, her weapon against the world. If it's half Supergirl it would have her problems with Kryptonite. And Lillian does not tolerate weakness. So, she might have found a way to make it immune by altering its genetic code."

"And if we knew what she altered we'd at least have a starting place to target to treat Kara."

Lena had no idea if it would work, but it was better than sitting there watching the same tests being run over and over again with no change in the results.

***

Kara closed her eyes, cursing herself for listening in on the conversation down the hall.

"How are you feeling?"

She smiled at J'onn. "Not great."

"I'd imagine, but your sister and Lena will sort this out. They're pretty determined when it comes to you."

Kara nodded, forcing a smile. "I know." She debated a moment before continuing. "But if they don't –"

"No, we're not having this discussion."

"J'onn, you know it's a possibility."

"I do, but not yet." He held out a hand. "Come with me."

She didn’t have to be psychic to know where he was taking her, but she followed anyways. The trip down to the lab was quiet, both of them drifting away in their own thoughts.

When they reached the door he motioned to Kara. "It's programmed to allow you to enter."

Kara held her palm over the biometric panel. "Thanks."

The door slid open and she took a breath before entering. She spotted the chair-like contraption next to the chamber and glanced at J'onn.

"It's not as good as the sunbed, but it's not that bad either. I thought you might like some quiet time. I find it's easier to think when a million voices aren't clouding your thoughts."

She sat with care, smiling when several sensors lit up beneath her and infused her body with warmth. Leaning back, she heard the door shut behind J'onn.

The little life had grown a minuscule amount. Not measurable by any instrument but something she just knew and it eased some of her concerns. Lena had said it would be months. Kara wondered what would happen in all that time.

Placing a hand on the glass she closed her eyes.

***

Lena pushed the tablet across the table when she hit another dead end. "Okay, so this is a waste of time."

Alex handed her a cup of coffee. "Take a break; you've been at this for hours."

"So have you," Lena shot back, annoyed.

"Yep, and I need a break."

"If I can't help with something like this…I mean that thing will be a child eventually and bring with it so many uncertainties. And Kara needs to be around to panic with me when they happen." She fought the tears trying to fall.

"She will be. We'll figure this out." Alex put a reassuring hand on Lena's shoulder.

"Okay, we know Lillian didn't alter anything. But she did something. She always does."

Alex let out a breath and leaned back in her chair. "Or it's your genetic material. Perhaps, when combined it counteracts the effects of Kryptonite, or at least she's hoping it does."

Lena reached for the tablet she'd shoved away. "If so, she wouldn’t know until it was tested and since she can't do it on the hybrid yet…she'd do something to Kara." Lena's eyes flashed. "What would human blood do to Kara? Blood that's been exposed to the same synthetic Kryptonite as Kara and fought it off."

Alex shot to her feet. "I was working on that over here but couldn't get a reaction out of the human blood samples."

Lena joined her. "So how do we get a reaction?"

Alex was already in motion, adding a drop of Kara's blood to the mix and then waiting.

Lena rubbed her bottom lip with her thumb, waiting. On the screen, the human cells moved around unaffected until a new element was added and then all hell broke loose. The Kryptonite overtook a few red blood cells but a series of white blood cells came in and did their job.

Alex typed away on her computer. "I just need to sort out the ratio and then I can make up a serum for Kara."

The Petri dish exploded in front of them, a plume of green floating in the air.

"Okay, so it can't kill the synthetic K, but it can make it leave the body," Alex said. "Violently."

Lena bit her tongue. "Right, we don't want to blow up Kara."

"Right."

And for the first time since Alex had called her, Lena felt the tightness in her chest ease just a bit.

***

Kara woke to the sound of two stern voices.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Why aren’t you on the sunbed?"

She turned her head toward them. "Hi to you too."

Alex rolled her eyes.

Lena put a hand on her arm. "Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell us you were coming down here?"

"I'm fine, just wanted to get away for a bit."

"Okay, well we have good news and bad," Alex said.

Kara braced herself. "Bad first."

"It's gonna hurt, not sure how bad, but probably a lot."

All things considered, that was a lot better news than she was expecting. "And the good?"

"We figured out how to fix you," Lena said, a smile on her face.

Kara adjusted her position. "That's great. What is it?"

Alex held up a needle. "Just this. We tried a slower method but your body would metabolize it too fast and undo the whole thing. So…one massive dose and you're better. Hopefully."

Getting to her feet, Kara met Lena's eyes and grinned. "Ready?"

"Sure?"

They talked about random things on their way back up. Keeping the mood light and fun. Once they reached the room where Kara would be treated, however, the smiles disappeared.

"I'm just here to help, in case," J'onn said.

Kara nodded and climbed onto the bed.

"You ready?" Alex asked.

She couldn’t really say no. "Yep, let's get this done."

Alex uncapped the green tipped syringe, took a breath, and then stuck it in Kara's arm.

At first, Kara didn't think it worked. Then heat spread throughout her body followed by cold. She clenched her fists, biting back the scream that wanted to erupt from her throat. Squeezing her eyes shut.

Her back arched and she gritted her teeth.

Strong hands gripped her but she threw them off when a spasm hit her. Her head throbbed, eyes burning, and then her body went limp.

Slowly, the sounds in the room filtered into her conscious. Heartbeats, monitors, air in the vents. When she opened her eyes a cloud of green hovered in the air above her for a second before being sucked out.

Lena stood above her wiping at Kara's face with a rag. "That didn’t look like fun."

Kara tried to laugh but a wet cough came out instead.

"Here, drink this." Alex appeared, glass of water in hand.

Kara accepted it. After a few sips, she gave it back. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?" Alex had a hand on her wrist, a sly way to check Kara's pulse.

"Better I think. Tired, but not as bad." She chanced a look at her shoulder happy to see it was healing.

Lena tossed the rag aside and took Kara's other hand in her own. "It’s out of your system now, but we need to figure out a way to prevent this from happening again. I'm going to work on some designs for suit modifications with Winn and see what we can come up with."

"Does Winn know that? He's going to flip out and probably be a little territorial over the design."

Lena leaned against the bed. "I'll tell him later."

"Glad to have you back, Supergirl," J'onn said, before nodding at Lena and leaving the room.

"Kara, do you mind if I speak with J'onn a moment?"

Kara squeezed the hand holding hers. "Go ahead, I'll be here."

***

In the hallway, the director waited for her. "You'd like to talk?"

Lena nodded. "Last time I was here, we discussed a few things in your office. And at the time I was more than willing to go along with them because I was exhausted and scared, but I can't anymore in good conscience. I will help with the incubator. I will do everything in my power to make sure it works. I will do that for Kara. I will not allow you to have access to the technology behind it, though I know you have some already from when the government raided Lex's labs. The possibility someone might use this to create an army of soldiers is too great."

J'onn looked at her, then crossed his arms. "I understand your concerns, but to be clear I haven’t notified anyone of what we have, yet. As for the alternative uses some might be tempted to use the technology for, I agree. But as you said, they already have Lex's data. So, we're just trying to figure out what we're up against. I know you mean well, Ms. Luthor, I trust you. I hope you trust me, eventually."

She opened her mouth but he held up a hand.

"I know when you were working on the device yesterday that you made a few adjustments, security precautions I'm sure, but next time just tell me your concerns. I'm on your side."

Lena handed him the file from her legal department. "I know, that's why I'm trusting you with this. Use it in case of emergency." With that, she turned and left the room.

She sucked in a breath of air, not caring that he could probably read her mind and realize she was nervous about having to do that, or the reasons she had done it. But she didn’t care at the moment. Heading toward where Kara was, she smiled.

"Alex, I feel fine. Really, you cured me! I can go home."

"Kara, I just watched you do some crazy exorcist like contortions with your body then green goop was expelled from various parts of your body. I am not fine, okay? You're staying on that sunbed for at least another hour."

"But I wanna go home. Lena has the most comfortable bed."

"Uh huh, I'm sure that's why."

Lena wiped the grin off her face before entering. "Did I miss anything?"

"Alex is being totally unreasonable."

"Your girlfriend doesn’t understand the concept of healing," Alex directed at Lena.

Hearing herself referred to as Kara's girlfriend didn’t freak her out which was probably a good thing. The fact she decided to let it go was even better.

"Well, it's almost two in the morning and this human needs some sleep. So, how about a compromise? Kara, you stay on the sunbed and I'll catch a nap on the couch. In the morning, we see where you're at."

Kara frowned. "I'm not a fan of that idea."

"I am," Alex said. "I'm heading home, you two get some rest." She hugged Kara, then walked over to Lena and wrapped her arms around her as well.

Lena stiffened, but a few seconds later she relaxed into the embrace and returned it.

"Night, Lena. Thanks for the help."

"Wait, I didn't agree to that." Kara looked at Lena, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

Alex just raised a hand and waved on her way out the door.

"What can I do to get you agree to it?" Lena asked.

"Compromise?"

Lena quirked a brow. "I’m open to the idea."

Kara got up from the bed and held up a hand before Lena could protest. "Trust me." She took her hand and led her back down to the lab with the incubator.

"It's quieter here and I thought…I don't know, just maybe we should spend time here?"

Lena sank into Kara's arms. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

Kara sat in the chair, leaning back to make room for Lena.

The body beneath hers was warm, soft, welcoming and near flawless once more. All the surface signs of her injuries gone.

"I was scared tonight," Lena whispered.

Kara's arms tightened around her. "I'm sorry. I never want to worry you."

Lena tucked one hand under her chin and the other she spread out above Kara's heart. "I know."

Kara placed a kiss on her forehead. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Eyes closed, Lena shook her head. "I think worry is part of the package when you care about someone. Especially you…"

"Hmm, because you're never in danger."

Lena could hear the smirk in Kara's voice. "Never."

"It'll be okay, you'll see."

A thought forced it's way to the front of her mind. "Why do you think Lillian wanted you to find this and take it in? I thought it was to help with the Kryptonite issue, but that wasn't it."

The body beneath hers went rigid.

"I don't know, but it doesn’t matter. We'll deal with it. I refuse to believe that," she pointed toward the fluid-filled container. "is pre-determined to be evil."

"Maybe not, but her motives are something we need to give some serious thought to."

Kara relaxed, slightly. "You're right."

"I spoke with J'onn about a few things. Nothing bad, I just don't want this tech to fall into the wrong hands. And I don't want people in here mucking about in things they don't understand."

"Good, I want you to have just as much say as me in how we…do this?"

Lena laughed. "Not exactly traditional."

"Not even close, I mean we haven’t even…" Kara cleared her throat. "You should get some sleep. You've had a long day."

Lena closed her eyes, smiling when a soft kiss was placed on top of her head. "Night, Kara."

"Night, Lena."

***

Kara held Lena the whole night. Her eyes alternating between the small life forming in front of them and the body resting on her.

She relaxed to the rhythm of Lena's heartbeat, watched the bubbles in the incubator form, rise, then disappear.

When Lena's phone chimed, Kara realized it was time to wake the woman up. She debated if she should, then remembered that Lena did have a company to run and Kara needed to stop getting in the way of that.

With slow movements, she got to her feet, exited the lab and headed toward the exit. Only a few people were working at 6 AM and they weren’t chatty.

Able to grab Lena's bag, Kara lifted into the air and made her way toward the CEO's home. Testing the latch on the balcony she let out a small sigh of relief when she found it unlocked.

Opening the door she headed straight for the bedroom. She set Lena's bag on the floor and then eased the woman onto the bed as gently as possible. When there was no indication she'd woken her, Kara crawled in beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Propping her head up on her elbow, she took a moment to admire just how beautiful Lena was.

So this was kind of how it felt to wake up next to Lena.

"Morning," Kara whispered then leaned down and placed a kiss on Lena's cheek.

"Hmm? What time is it?" Lena croaked in a raspy voice.

"Almost six thirty."

Green eyes flew open. "What? Ugh, the traffic and I have to get home and shower and…" Her eyes squinted as she glanced around. "I am home. How did I get home? Kara…no flying while recovering!"

Kara let her head fall back as she let out a laugh. "I'm totally healed. How are you? Need more sleep?"

"Yes, but I can't. I have to shower."

Lena got out of bed, ambling toward the bathroom. Kara grinned at how uncoordinated her movements were. The moment the water turned on, she slipped out to get some coffee and breakfast.

She had the table set and ready by the time a refreshed looking Lena appeared in the kitchen.

Kara handed her the coffee.

"Thanks. You really are a life saver." She smiled.

"Yep, that's me. Saving the day one caffeinated beverage at a time."

They sat down, Kara eating a box of pastries while Lena nibbled on a croissant.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yep, you guys did it. No Kryptonite left in my system. I can tell." Kara sent Lena one of her bright and reassuring smiles.

"That's good…great. So, what will you do now?"

Kara's mind froze at the question. She had totally forgotten that she was staying here to get better…needing a place to stay and someone to help. Now, that was not an issue. While she loathed the idea of going back to her apartment, she knew she needed to give Lena her space back.

"I guess I'll head into CatCo and deal with Snapper's ire over missing work and get back into my routine."

Lena put down her croissant. "Good, that's good. I should get going, I have a lot of work to catch up on."

Kara stood at the same time as Lena.

What happened? How did things get so awkward so fast?

"Are we okay?"

Lena's head jerked toward Kara. "Yes. Why wouldn’t we be?"

Kara shook her head. "I just…it seemed weird for a minute."

"Did it? Huh. Um, before I go, when will I see you again?"

"Dinner?"

She noted the relief that flooded through Lena at that.

"Yes, perfect. Dinner. I'll see you then, or text me? We can just meet here? Or a restaurant, a date would be nice."

Kara smiled at the unusually flustered woman. "A date sounds perfect. Seven good?"

"Yes."

Leaning in, Kara kissed Lena. She meant it to be quick and sweet, but it turned into something longer, deeper, and full of meaning. By the time they pulled a part, both were breathless.

"I should get to work," Lena said.

"Hmm, me too." Kara headed toward the balcony, and with a final wave took off.

A minute later she landed in her apartment, stupid smile in place and lips still tingling.

"Hello, Kara. You're looking well."

She turned at the voice. "Lillian?"

 


	7. Chapter 7

Kara moved toward Lillian, but a clicking sound halted her. She glanced at her feet and noted the thin pad she'd stepped onto. Using her x-ray vision, she spotted a wire running all the way down to the basement where a bomb sat.

"You don't think I would come here unprepared, do you? Move so much as a hair and this whole place goes boom." Lillian smirked at her from her position on the couch.

"I don't believe you. You wouldn’t risk your life," Kara said.

Lilian laughed. "It's not about risking my life. It's about how much you love others. And I know you won't let the twenty-two other residents here at the moment die."

Forcing herself not to move, Kara glared at the woman. "What do you want?"

Lillian shrugged. "I'd like to have my son back, but that's unlikely. So, you can imagine how unhappy I am at the thought of losing my daughter to a super as well."

"You lost her a long time ago."

"Perhaps, but I'm still her mother and want what's best for her. And that is not you."

Kara took in her surroundings, focusing her hearing to detect any other heartbeats, devices, signals…anything.

"It bothers you, doesn’t it? What am I doing here, alone? By now, you've noticed there's no one else. Just me…and you don't know why."

Swallowing against the worry that had started to settle in her chest, Kara focused on Lena's heartbeat, sighing when it came back steady.

Lillian had a plan, but what it was, who it entailed, and the intended result eluded Kara.

"Lena's a smart woman. Always has been. But her heart gets in the way." Motioning to Kara, Lillian continued. "She's a lot like you in that regard. Stubborn, too. She won't listen to me. But she will…in time."

"What is it you want? You could have killed me at the lab and chose not to. You practically led me to your warehouse and gave me the incubator. Why?" Kara's heart thundered in her chest, knowing if she got an answer she probably wasn’t going to like it.

Getting to her feet, Lillian walked toward one of Kara's artworks. "Nice. Krypton I take it?" She sighed when Kara didn’t answer. "So typical, demanding answers instead of using that brain of yours. Are you really so used to playing dumb that you forgot how to think?"

Kara took a deep breath, not allowing the woman to get under her skin. "Your goal is to get rid of aliens. You'll do anything to accomplish it. You created a hybrid to be a weapon but need it close to me so I won't hurt it when the time comes for whatever you have planned. And you didn't kill me…" And it hit Kara then.

She focused on Lena's heartbeat, fast and irregular now. Her phone rang and she saw it was from Alex.

"Don't answer it. In fact, let me take that from you."

Lillian grabbed the phone, tossed it on the ground and smashed it under her foot.

"You traced my locations using the Kryptonite in my system…you know where the DEO is, the hybrid, and Lena." Kara almost fell to the ground when the realization dawned on her.

"Well done. And now, the hard part for you. My daughter or the hybrid?"

Kara's eyes snapped up. "What? That makes no sense. You can take both…why aren’t you?"

"No, you misunderstand. You choose who lives or dies. I have two agents at the DEO ready to sabotage the floor your precious offspring is on…So, I get the hybrid back, courtesy of you, because I know the security is biometric, and Lena lives or…" Lillian made a face and Kara had never been so tempted to use her laser vision.

Stomach churning, heart pounding against her chest, Kara forced herself to sound calm. "I can't do anything. I am begging you not to do this."

Lillian set a timer on the counter. "When this reaches zero, the pad under your foot will deactivate. You will then have thirty seconds to decide. I've written down the address you are to take the incubator to. Drop it off, wait for further orders…or Lena dies." With that Lillian walked out.

Kara braced herself, looking everywhere in the hopes of finding a way out of the hellish situation she was in. Lena's heartbeat was more erratic than before.

The timer still had thirty-three seconds to go and each blink felt like a lifetime.

When it hit zero, she didn’t hesitate.

***

Lena glared at the men in front of her.

When she got out of the shower they had been waiting for her.

She recognized her mother's goons, but oddly they didn’t say anything. All they did was motion for her to sit.

Peppering them with questions didn’t result in any answers so she simply sagged into the couch, waiting.

After forty minutes one of them tapped his ear, listened to something, then nodded.

Lena raised a brow. "What's going on?"

"We'll be on our way. Sorry for the inconvenience, Ms. Luthor."

She watched them leave, confusion clouding her features. Getting to wobbly legs she ran to the door and locked it, not that it had done much in the first place.

Pulling her phone out of her bag, she called Kara. She left what she hoped was a calm message when she was sent straight to voicemail.

She fidgeted, her nerves on edge. When her phone rang she fumbled it a moment before answering.

"Hello?"

"Lena? Are you okay? Have you seen Kara?" Alex's voice rumbled through.

"What? I'm fine…my mother sent some people, but…where's Kara?"

"Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine. Where's Kara?"

"I don't know. But I need to talk to her. If you see her please have her call me."

Lena sat on the couch, a tingling sensation crawling up her spine. "Of course."

The second she hung up the phone her balcony door slid open and Kara stood there in her suit. The rigid stance of her body and the slight glow in her eyes kept Lena in place.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Alex is looking for you." Lena moved to get up but Kara motioned for her to stay where she was.

"I know." She stayed where she was, and Lena's apprehension went up twelve notches.

"What's going on? There were two men here…"

Kara glanced at her then, met Lena's gaze. "Did they hurt you?"

"No."

"Good. I'm glad." Kara turned then, facing the city. "Your mother has the… I gave it to her."

Lena got to her feet then. "Kara, what did she do…what happened?"

"I did what I had to do. And now I need to go to the DEO. I'm pretty sure they're going to have some questions for me."

When Lena was two feet away, Kara lifted into the air.

"I won't be able to make dinner tonight," Kara said in a way that implied so much more.

And with that, she was gone. Lena stood there, bewildered at what had just happened.

She threw her phone across the room. Of course, when things were going well her mother would come in and do…whatever the hell it was she did.

"Dammit."

***

Kara detoured on her flight back from Lena's place. She couldn’t shake the pale face of the CEO. The slight tremble to her hands.

Pushing harder, a crack echoed behind her. She flew as high as she could then dove down creating a giant crater. She let loose her hear vision wanting to burn everything in sight. Then she fell to her knees and pounded the ground with her fists until boulders had been turned into rocks had been turned into dust.

Getting to her feet, she dusted herself off and went to face J'onn.

Kara set down outside the DEO building and waited.

J'onn came out, a grim look on his face.

"You need to explain to me everything that happened. Now."

And Kara did. She started from the moment she landed in her apartment right up until the moment he came out to greet her.

"And you're sure there's no way to track her?"

"Yeah. After I saw Lena was okay I went back. There was no sign of them."

J'onn stepped to her and leaned his forearms on the railing. "What do you think she wants with it? Why have you take it and then just ask for it back."

Kara leaned against the wall, eyes gazing in the direction of L-Corp. "Control? Wants to show me who has the real power? Or maybe she had a change of heart."

J'onn quirked a brow at that. "That woman has no heart. There has to be another reason."

"There always is with her. I'm sorry…I couldn’t say anything. Her people had Lena at gunpoint."

J'onn's expression softened, marginally. "It's okay. No one got hurt. I think they were more surprised than anything. As for the powers that be, I didn’t give them the specifics and focused more on the fact CADMUS infiltrated us. Two of my agents on her payroll, I want to know how that happened."

Kara nodded. "Did you get them into custody?"

"No, they left when you did."

"I need to go talk to Alex."

J'onn pushed back from the railing. "I'll file my report, but keep an eye out. We have a team taking care of the bomb in your building but who knows what else Lillian has planned."

"Thanks." And with that, she headed into the DEO.

She avoided making eye contact with anyone and headed straight for her sister's lab. Once inside she shut the door and closed the blinds.

Alex turned to her, arms open, and Kara sagged into the embrace finally allowing the tears to fall.

"She was gonna kill her, I know it. I didn’t have a choice. I could hear her heart…she was so scared." She clutched at her sister, gasping for air. "I had to do it…I had to save her."

Alex rubbed her back and murmured in her ear. "It's okay. You did the right thing. She's safe."

"You don’t understand. If I ever see that child again, I'll know the choice I made. What does that say about me?" Kara held onto her sister, letting their connection help balance her.

"It says you were in a terrible position and made the most logical choice in which everyone survived."

When they pulled apart, Alex tugged on her arm and led her toward the couch then grabbed some ice cream from her mini fridge.

"Emergency stash," she said when Kara raised a brow.

Kara picked at it, her stomach not really welcoming the idea of food.

"Have you talked to Lena?"

"No. I don’t know what to say or do…Lillian... And now she has…" she trailed off, staring at the floor.

Alex put a hand on top of hers. "Hey, we'll figure this out. Lillian's smart, but you're smarter and Lena is a genius. Talk to her."

Kara set the container aside. "I will, just not right now."

***

Lena rubbed her temples, another stress headache announcing itself. She opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. Downing a couple of pills with some water she spared a glance at her phone, not surprised at the lack of notifications from Kara.

It had been a week of canceled plans, skipped dinners, and voicemails.

Kara was pushing herself too hard, hero or not, even Supergirl had a breaking point.

In the days since her mother had disappeared, Lena had been unable to sit idle. She combed through her brother's records, finding dozens of possible locations her mother might go. She forwarded them all the Kara and hoped that one of them would pan out.

On the third day, Kara had sent her a message that all of the locations had turned up empty, but that she was going to keep looking.

Lena had asked her to stop by but didn’t get a response.

So, all she knew was Lillian had done something, again. Perhaps this was the time Kara decided dating a Luthor wasn’t worth the risk or had cost her too much all ready.

By day seven, she was a mess. She missed Kara more than she wanted to admit. She spent more time glancing out her window in the hopes she'd catch a familiar red/blue blur than she did looking at her files.

They texted, but it was different. Distant and superficial.

Lena's heart broke a little more at the possibility Kara might have changed her mind about them. Regretted ever caring about Lena. Maybe Kara had blamed her for what happened.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she called out.

Alex peered in and held up a bag of something.

"Thought you could use some lunch."

Lena smiled. "Thanks, but I'm busy."

Alex walked toward the couch and sat. "Uh huh, but you have time for lunch."

Lena bit her bottom lip. "I really don't think…"

"Look, you helped me save my sister. I owe you, a lot. So, come sit. Kara would never forgive me if you keeled over from lack of food."

"I'm sure that I'm the least of her concerns right now." Lena found herself standing, despite not wanting to.

Alex pulled out a few trays of sushi and spread them out. "You'd be surprised what concerns my sister."

Settled in next to Alex, Lena shrugged. "Well, she does have other things on her mind…understandably."

"Hmm, sorry I didn’t come by earlier. This week has been insane. We're all hands on deck trying to find Lillian. I don't think Kara's slept a wink, to be honest."

Lena raised a brow at that.

"Yeah, she was pretty upset about what happened to you…and then the incubator, well, you can imagine."

Lena could imagine. It was all she had thought about during the week. That had been Kara's only chance at a family. And despite the circumstances, Lena hadn't given up. In fact, she was banking on things working out for a change.

Lena picked at her food, not hungry, but not wanting to seem rude after Alex went to all this effort.

"Any luck finding Lillian?"

Alex shook her head. "Nope, you'll be the first to know when we do." She took a sip from her bottle of water. "I saw you got settled in at the new place. That was quick."

"Yes, you'd be surprised at how money can make things happen very fast," Lena said.

"I want you to know I kept it off the DEO servers and if you need any other special items to just call."

"Thanks."

Five minutes later Alex left. Lena cleaned up their small lunch and went back to her desk. She spun her chair so she was looking out at the city and a blur of red and blue caught her eye. Her heart sped up a moment until she realized Kara kept going.

Taking a deep breath, she went back to work.

***

Kara set down on the balcony where Lena used to live and flopped into one of the lounge chairs and closed her eyes. She remembered sitting out here and being happy and relaxed. Now, Lena had moved and Kara had no idea what to do because the CEO hadn't given her the new address.

Then again, Kara had been going non-stop but had come up with nothing.

Not a single lead had proven fruitful.

She'd failed.

Running a hand down her face she pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Hello."

The sound of Lena's voice brought a calm to Kara she hadn't realized she'd been missing.

"Hi. Are you busy?"

Papers rustled in the background. "I have a few minutes."

"I'll be right there."

A second later Kara landed on the balcony outside of Lena's office. She knocked before coming in even though the door was open.

"What can I do for you?" Lena asked without looking up.

Kara expected a cool reception, but it still hurt. Her hands trembled, from nervousness or exhaustion she didn’t know, not that it mattered. She moved further inside until she could lean against some shelving.

"I'm sorry."

Lena's hand stopped for a moment, then resumed. "It's all right."

"I'm pretty sure it isn't." Kara slumped further into the wall, her fatigue catching up with her with each passing second. "Since I gave the incubator back to Lillian I've been trying to find her, but failed and now I don't know what to do and I just hope you don't hate me."

Lena set down the pen and glanced at Kara, her brow furrowed in confusion. "You think I hate you?" She got to her feet and stood in front of Kara. "Never."

Kara let herself slide down the wall, her body giving in to the relentless pressure she'd been keeping up.

"It was half you…and I didn’t ask. You had no choice in what happened. How can you not hate me?"

Lena kicked off her heels and settled on the floor next to Kara. "Pretty sure that Lillian set things up so you didn’t have much of a choice. It's what she does. In fact, I bet those nice gentlemen who were holding me at gunpoint were part of it."

Kara's head lolled to the side, tears filled her eyes. "She said they'd kill you. I had to make a choice…"

Lena swallowed. "She made you choose between me and the…"

Kara nodded, too tired to do much else.

"So this past week you've been…"

"I haven’t stopped," Kara said, eyes closing because Lena's smell and warmth were intoxicating her. "I tried so hard to find it and bring it back for us. I couldn’t even protect our child and it hasn’t even been born. Some hero I am."

Lena pulled Kara's head to rest on her shoulder and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's okay. We'll find it together. You need to rest."

Kara felt her eyes close. The thumping of Lena's heart the last thing she heard before sleep claimed her.

***

Lena rested her cheek on top of Kara's head. The hero had fallen asleep and Lena was loathe to wake her.

They hadn't really talked but based on what she knew and the level of exhaustion in Kara, Lena had a very good idea of how much of a toll this was taking on Kara.

She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for Kara to choose between a child and her…and yet Kara had chosen her. Lena didn’t know what to do with that. All week she'd been nervous and unsure, convincing herself at times that Kara wanted nothing to do with her because of her mother…but no. Kara had been worried Lena would hate her.

Her throat tightened and her eyes burned. With Kara sleeping soundly in her arms, Lena let herself cry.

A warm hand reached up and caressed her face.

"Why are you crying?"

Lena tried to suck it back in but failed. "I'm just glad you're here. I've missed you."

Kara maneuvered herself so she sat facing Lena. "I should have come here sooner…I just…I felt like I had failed you and me and…I kept pushing myself because I didn’t want to go home. The last time I was there…and it just doesn't seem right if I'm not with you."

Lena entwined her fingers with Kara's. "It's okay, you didn’t fail anyone. You're my hero, Kara. Always."

A small smile appeared on Kara's face and Lena felt minimally better for having made that happen.

"You're mine too, ya know."

Cocking her head to the side, eyes watery, Lena managed a smile. "Probably the first time that has ever been said about me…a Luthor."

Kara let out a breath. "I'm tired. You're tired. It's been a long few days…how about I get you home so you can get some rest? I know I'm mostly to blame for those dark circles under your eyes."

"You say the sweetest things…but, I can't think of anything more I want right now."

Kara pulled Lena to her feet and let her grab her things.

"Do you know where the new place is?"

Kara raised a brow. "Of course." She placed a hand over Lena's heart. "I always keep track of this."

Lena placed her hand over Kara's, the words she wanted to say too thick in her mouth.

In one smooth move, Kara swept Lena off her feet, literally, and took to the air.

Lena ducked her head into Kara's neck and wrapped her arms around her.

Kara placed Lena on the ground with a gentleness, a caution, that Lena didn’t know how to interpret.

"I'll be more careful in the future when I come here…I'm sorry she found your other place because of me."

Lena tugged on Kara's hand. "It's okay. I think you'll like this place better."

Kara faltered. "You want me to come in?"

Lena just gripped her hand harder. "Come on."

She led Kara around after the hero changed into a pair of boxers and a t-shirt leftover from when she had been staying with Lena.

"This is your room."

"My room?"

"Well, take a look at it before you make that pouty face."

Kara peered in, her forehead scrunched and then she glanced back at Lena. "Is that a…sunbed?"

"Yep, that way when you get hurt you can come home to heal." Lena glanced down the hallway. "If you want."

"Home."

"Yes. Home," Lena said.

Kara wrapped Lena in a hug. "I definitely want."

"Good. Then follow me." When she pushed the next door, Kara's eyes widened.

"I know you won't give up and I know you'll find her."

"Her?"

Lena raised a brow. "Pretty sure, basic biology. Both of us only have X chromosomes."

"Right, I forgot the technology here is different."

"Uh huh, want to go inside?"

Lena watched Kara enter the room slowly, her eyes roaming over the plain room. However, the mobile made of planets hanging in the center, the rocking chair, and large stuffed bear left little confusion as to who and what this room was for.

"I figured we could decorate it together."

Kara sucked in a breath, her blues shimmering with tears. "Lena…you did all this after I…and we barely spoke this week…" She stopped talking then, her words jumbled.

"I know a thing or two about my mother and her effect on people not to mention throwing yourself into your work is not solely a hero thing." She stood next to Kara, wrapping her hands around a strong forearm. "I know we'll hit rough times, and there's a good chance we have some really bad ones ahead of us, but I decided to have hope in you, in us, in this." She made a quick gesture around the room.

"What if I can't find her?"

Lena leaned against Kara's arm and kissed her shoulder. "We will."

This time when Kara hugged her it was a promise, a declaration, a vow. And even though no words had been spoken, they really didn’t need any.

But Lena knew there was one thing she wanted to say.

"I love you."

Kara leaned back and smiled. "I love you, too."

***

Lena dragged Kara forward to the main bedroom. Kara was too tired to get excited, but a sense of contentment did fall over her.

"Come on, you're dead on your feet, and so am I to be honest," Lena said.

Kara didn’t hesitate to crawl into bed after Lena. As soon as her head hit the pillow she wrapped her arms around the CEO and pulled her close. Dipping her head to inhale the smell of her shampoo, Kara smiled.

"Thanks for having faith in me."

She felt a hand reach back for her and settle on her hip. "Always."

Kara drifted off to sleep for the first time in days.

When she woke the next morning, a warm body was wrapped around her, soft breaths ghosting across her neck.

She wrapped her arm tighter around Lena and reveled in the warmth the woman next to her radiated.

A smile came to her face when she thought of the room across the hall. Any fears she had about what Lena might have wanted, melted away. Now, all she had to do was find Lillian.

The thought didn’t anger or frustrate her like it used to.

Her phone buzzed and she reached for it, answering it as quietly as she could.

"Hi."

"Hey, were you sleeping?" Alex asked.

"I just woke up. What's going on?"

"First, I'm glad you got some sleep. Second, how's Lena? Third, want to do breakfast?"

Kara rubbed her face. "Yeah, that'd be nice, can I –"

"Bring Lena? Duh, I'd be pissed if you didn’t."

"Okay, Noonan's in an hour."

She hung up the phone and pulled Lena in close.

"Mmm, what time is it?"

Kara grinned at the small noise Lena made when she stretched. "Almost seven."

A green eye peered up at Kara. "Did we really sleep for like ten hours?"

"Uh huh, think we needed it."

Lena rolled over. "Guess so. Thank God it's…what day is it?"

"Friday. Um, Alex called. She wants to meet for breakfast."

"Okay, have fun. I'll head to the office early."

Kara turned on her side. "I was hoping you'd come with. Alex said she'd be pissed if you didn’t. Her words."

Lena rolled her eyes toward Kara. "Okay."

Getting to her feet, Kara stripped off her shirt. "I need to run home and change. I'll meet you there?"

Lena's mouth opened and closed a few times.

Kara sped off and changed into her suit. When she went back to the bedroom, Lena hadn't moved.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes..yep…totally fine…maybe next time a little warning before you…" A blush crawled up the neck of the CEO.

"Ah, before I get nekkid?" She climbed on the bed so she straddled her.

"Something like that," Lena breathed.

Kara leaned down and kissed her. When she pulled away both of them were out of breath.

"Have dinner with me tonight?" Kara asked.

Lena bit her lip. "I'll have to check my schedule…"

Kara tickled her. "What? I'm sure I heard that wrong."

Lena swatted at her arms, tears running down her cheeks. "Okay, you win. Dinner…no more tickling."

Kara bounced off the bed and struck her hero pose. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement, Ms. Luthor."

Lena sat up, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "You have some impressive negotiating skills, Ms. Danvers."

"I have many skills." Kara winked.

"What has gotten into you this morning?" Lena asked while laughing.

Kara shrugged. "I just feel good. I'd convinced myself that you hated me and was preparing for the worst last night."

Lena crawled to the edge of the bed then got up on her knees and rested her hands on Kara's shoulders. "Well, glad to disappoint."

Lena pecked Kara on the lips then slipped off the bed. "I need to get ready. Some of us don't have super speed."

"All right, see you soon." And with that Kara was out the door.

***

Lena slipped into the booth across from Alex.

"Morning."

Alex saluted her with a mug. "Back at ya."

Picking up a menu, Lena glanced around. "Where's Kara?"

Alex pushed over her phone where a video was playing of Supergirl putting out a factory fire.

"Should we wait for her?"

"Nah, she'll be a bit."

Lena ordered a fruit plate and some toast, smiling at Alex's face.

"That's hardly breakfast, Lena."

"It is for someone who sits at their desk most of the day."

"Hmm, we'll have to see about changing that." Alex wiggled her eyebrows.

Lena took a sip from the mug of coffee in front of her. "Good luck with that."

"How's Kara doing? She finally let herself get some rest?"

Lena nodded. "She needed it."

"And you?"

"I'm glad we talked, but I wish there was more I could do."

Alex leaned back when the waitress dropped off their meals. "I know. I have no idea where to look anymore."

Lena speared a slice of banana. Her thoughts all over the place when it came to Lillian.

"I gave you everything I have. I'd ask Lex but he refuses to see me."

Alex's eyes softened at that. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

Clearing her throat, Alex spoke, "You know what I can't wrap my head around…why let Kara take it only to snatch it back. It's cruel, but not in a …"

Lena pursed her lips. "Not in a Lillian way? I agree. To be honest I don't think she intended to ask for it back. It's not like her to want to look after anything. She's not the maternal type."

Alex popped a bit of sausage in her mouth. "Okay, so something happened. She realized, oh crap…I need to get that back. What would cause that?"

Lena spread some butter on her toast while she thought. "Well, this isn’t some factory recall issue or something board members voted on. She'd only do this if she thought…if she thought that her plan might not work."

"She found a flaw…but how?" Alex pushed her plate away.

"No, I don’t think that's it. I think as long as she knows where it is she knows Kara won't hurt her. It's the ultimate leverage."

Alex's eyes darkened. "She could do whatever she wants. Knowing Kara's identity on top of it all…We need to find her."

Lena nodded, thinking. "Kara mentioned the cyborg had Kryptonite weapons when she faced him."

"We already tried that. Scanning didn’t find anything."

"What about CADMUS signals?"

"Winn has a system dedicated to scanning them."

"I don't know what else we can do," Lena sighed.

"There has to be something, we just need to figure out what."

Kara ran in then. "I'm sorry, that took way longer than expected. Did I miss it?" She looked at the table, then her watch. "I missed it." She flopped into the seat next to Lena and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry about it. I do have to go though."

Kara nodded. "Don't forget dinner tonight."

"How could I?" Lena got to her feet and left.

Once in her office, she got to work, wanting to make sure she was able to leave early.

She had a date that she was not going to miss.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Totally fluff this time around...

Kara hit send on the last round of edits Snapper had asked for and checked her watch. An hour until dinner.

Heading out of the office, she called her sister.

"Hey, don't you have a date tonight?"

"Yes, just wanted to check in."

"Uh huh, let me guess you're nervous."

Kara pushed the button for the elevator. "I'm not nervous. That would be crazy. I mean okay, maybe a little bit because this is technically our first date but with everything that happened and did you know she has a sunbed in her new place?"

Alex's laughter came through loud and clear. "Who do you think helped her get it? You don't order those at Ikea."

The elevator door closed and Kara leaned against the back wall. "Right, okay. So you didn’t tell me. It was a nice surprise though."

"Hence, why I didn’t tell you. Now take a breath and go romance her. She deserves it."

"Right, okay, I got this."

She hung up with her sister when she exited into the CatCo lobby.

Forty-five minutes to get everything in place.

***

Lena was about to hop in the shower when her phone rang. She glanced at the call screen and saw Kara's name pop up.

She sighed before answering it knowing she was about to be canceled on. "Hello."

"Hi. What's wrong?"

Lena picked at the edge of the towel wrapped around her. "Nothing."

"Hmm, okay. So, about tonight –"

"I understand –"

"are you okay with me –"

"we can reschedule."

"being creative?"

"What?"

"Huh?"

Lena cleared her throat. "I'm sorry…I thought you were calling to cancel."

"No. Do you want to cancel?"

"No!" Lena blurted a bit too loudly and a bit too quickly.

Kara chuckled on the other end. "Okay, good. Now that we have that settled. Are you okay with a non-traditional first date?"

Lena smirked. "Well, seeing as everything about us has been so traditional I guess we should try something different so we don't get bored."

"Funny. Really missed your calling as a comedian. Just for that, I'm totally going to get my creative on."

Lena scrunched her face. "That doesn’t even make sense. This is why Snapper has you rewrite everything."

"No, that’s because he's mean and I can't spell in your weird language."

"Sure, miss I was bio-engineered to be perfect."

"Dress comfy. I'll be there in half an hour."

Lena hung up the phone shaking her head. Never in a million years would she imagine herself looking forward to a date so much.

Kara knocked on the door, true to her word, thirty minutes later on the dot.

Lena opened it and couldn’t stop the laugh that came out of her. In front of her was an assortment of flowers too big to count and with more color than she thought possible, boxes of chocolate, balloons, and stuffed animals.

Kara peeked her head around the items in her hands. "Too much?"

Lena shook her head, reaching to take the box of chocolates and one of the bouquets of flowers.

"Nope, it's very much you."

Kara trailed after her setting the remaining bouquets of flowers, three boxes of chocolates, a stuffed bear, stuffed dog, and a stuffed otter onto the dining room table. The balloons left to float around.

"Okay, ready?" Kara asked.

Lena took in the worn jeans Kara was wearing, white button up, and blue sweater with an appreciative smile. "You look nice."

Kara leaned over and kissed her, when she pulled away, Lena caught herself chasing after her.

"Thanks, you look all right."

Lena raised a brow. "Really? See if I share my newfound wealth of chocolate with you."

Kara shrugged. "I'm in this for the otter to be honest."

"You know, I think I left my computer on at the office…"

Kara walked up to her, smile widening as she wrapped her arms around Lena, hands resting at the CEOs lower back. "That's a shame. I was really hoping to take out the most breathtakingly beautiful woman in National City tonight." Kara let her gaze linger on Lena's lips.

"Really? And where were you going to take her?"

Kara's face went serious. "That's top secret."

Lena pushed forward, her arms encircling Kara's neck. "No way I could get you to talk?"

Kara quirked a brow. "You could, but you won't because you want to be surprised."

"Then let's go."

With a smirk, Kara swept Lena off her feet and was out the balcony door and in the air.

Lean's arms were wrapped tight around Kara's neck and her face was tucked into the crook of her neck.

A few moments later she felt them slowing. When she turned to look she was greeted by a bright sun and pristine beach.

Kara set down and led her toward a table.

"I'll be right back."

Lena ran a finger along the tablecloth, picking up one of the flowers and bringing it to her nose. A Plumeria. She smiled at the thoughtfulness.

A few minutes later Kara reappeared, speeding to the table and setting out an assortment, all of which were Lena's favorites.

"Where are we?" Lena asked.

Kara pulled a chair out from the table and waited for Lena to sit. She walked around to the other side and did the same.

"The Greek Isles."

Lena sampled some of the sushi. "Authentic, I take it?"

Kara merely smiled while she dug in.

They talked about random things, work, articles, touched on a few childhood memories to make the other laugh.

When finished, Kara swept away the evidence of them being there in less than five minutes. Then she held her hand out to the CEO with a smile.

"I thought you might like to take a walk before we have dessert."

Lena accepted Kara's hand and nodded. "Of course."

She found herself in the air once again, this time they touched down sooner and were in a back alley.

"Should I be worried?"

Kara grabbed her hand and leaned over to kiss on the cheek. "With me? Never."

They exited the alley and Lena knew where they were in an instant. "How did you know?"

"You mentioned how you wish you had time to come here."

Lena just took in the sights around her. The colors of the buildings, the boats on the water, the merchants, locals, and tourists.

Venice had been on her bucket list since she was a girl and Lex had told her stories about the ancient city. She gripped Kara's hand, not knowing how else to show how grateful she was aside from crying. Which she was not going to do.

When the sunset, Kara snapped several photos of Lena, of the two of them, of anything.

After an hour and a half, Kara pointed to a place to get some gelato and Lena nodded in agreement.

"Are you ready to go?"

Lena sighed, turning toward the city. She snapped one last picture with her phone and nodded.

Kara hugged her from behind. "We'll come back, promise."

Then they were in an alley and Kara was discreetly taking off again.

This time when they slowed down, Lena realized they were still in the air and when she looked down, nowhere close to the ground. She grabbed onto Kara out of reflex.

"It's okay. I got you."

Lena nodded, trying to relax.

Above them, the sky was starting to lighten, and then the sun was cresting over an expanse of dark blue water. Lena swore she could hear the noise it made.

They floated there, wrapped around each other.

"I love to watch this," Kara said.

"It's beautiful."

And then they were moving again, more leisurely.

Too soon, Lena found herself on her balcony. Kara stood in front of her, hands in her jeans pockets, looking adorable.

"I had a really good time tonight."

Kara glanced up. "Me too. I was worried."

Lena laughed. "Are you kidding? That was like the best date ever."

"Well, I got plenty more where that came from."

Lena put a hand on Kara's forearm. "I'm pretty sure you could have taken me to McDonald's and I would have been happy because you were there."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Now you tell me."

Lena swatted in the stomach. "Despite having seen a sunset and a sunrise within moments of one another, it's not that late here. Can I interest you in a nightcap?"

Kara furrowed her brow. "I think I could be persuaded if you threw a stuffed otter and some chocolates into the equation,"

Lena just grabbed her by the front of her sweater and pulled.

***

If Lena's smile was any indication, Kara had managed to pull off a successful first date despite everything they had been through the last few months.

Once inside, they stood awkwardly and Kara hadn't really thought much past this part. Well, technically, she had, but…

Lena let go of her sweater and walked over to the dining room table. She pointed to a box of chocolate but took the otter for herself.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

Kara shook her head. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"No, not really."

Kara's mouth went dry at the look Lena gave her.

"Well, I should get going then." She backed toward the balcony, a pout on her face. "Just gonna go home and be all by my lonesome."

Lena let out a small chuckle. "Okay, a movie it is."

Kara grinned, jumping over to the couch and landing in the center.

Lena met her there; hand on hip. "I feel like you might have planned this out?"

Kara scoffed, pulling Lena into her lap. "Please, would I do something like that?"

"I'm beginning to think so."

Kara grabbed the remote from the table and hit play. "Look, what are the odds that you're favorite movie is in there?"

Lena glanced at the television, a smile lighting up her face when the scroll began for Star Wars. "Funny, especially since I don't own it."

Kara wrapped her arms around the woman, nuzzling her neck. "Which is something we'll have to talk about at a later time but let's just have a good night for now."

Lena sagged into her. "Sounds good to me."

Kara tried to focus on the movie…for about ten seconds. Then all she could think about was how nice Lena smelled, how soft her skin was, and the little crinkles around her eyes when she smiled.

"Are you even watching the movie?"

Eyes forward, Kara nodded.

Then warm lips were on hers and she melted into the kiss. Lena threw her leg around so she was straddling Kara, arms around her neck. In turn, Kara let her hands trail to Lena's hips, softly massaging them.

She broke the kiss, her lips peppering a long elegant neck. Lena arched into it, hands tangling in Kara's hair. A deep moan erupted from the CEO's throat and Kara knew then and there she would never tire of hearing that particular noise or being the cause of it.

"Bedroom?" A hint of a question on the normally confident woman's' voice.

Kara stopped then, pulling back so her eyes could meet Lena's. "Um, so this is kind of…this will sound weird maybe…and I know that…you see the thing is…"

Lena put a finger over her mouth. "Whatever it is, it's okay."

Kara let out a breath. "Remember back when…I said that a relationship with me would be maybe impossible?" She continued at Lena's nod. "Okay, so I never really dated anyone for any length of time. Sometimes it was from a lack of trust, others it was because I just didn’t feel that way about them. So, if it's okay with you I'd like to take things slow and enjoy this because I've never had it before?"

Lena smiled, then leaned forward so their foreheads touched. "I want you to have all the things you missed out on or thought weren't within your reach, and if I can help I'm all for it."

"Thanks." Kara brought their lips together again but was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

"Sorry, I have to take this. It's the Supergirl one."

Lena slid off her lap and focused on the television while Kara listened to Alex tell her she was needed downtown.

Kara shot to her feet. "I have to go…I'm so sorry."

"Nope, we're going to break that habit right now. Never apologize for being Supergirl and helping people. I'm not going anywhere. Now, go save lives."

After a quick peck on the lips, Kara was out the window.

***

Lena tapped her pen in a random pattern. Things with Kara were going well. L-Corp was turning a nice profit. No one had tried to kill her in almost a month. All in all Lena didn’t have much to complain about.

In the last few weeks, she and Kara had gone on several dates. The fact they practically lived with one another helped. Though, Kara was oddly old-fashioned and stayed on the couch. There were a few nights where Kara crashed at her sister's place for sister night or didn’t get to sleep at all because of a Supergirl emergency.

On those nights, Lena didn’t sleep as well.

Her phone buzzed, breaking her out of her thoughts. She smiled when she saw Alex's name appear.

"Hi."

"We got a lead on Lillian. Kara took off."

Lena's heart started to pound. "What was the lead? Where did Kara go? How long…"

"We got some intel about a lab in South America…Kara left about five minutes. Can you think of anything there?"

Lena kick-started her brain. "No. I handed everything that might help over to her."

Alex sighed. "Okay, I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks."

Lena grabbed her purse and left. There was no way she was getting any more work done today. She debated two seconds before texting Alex.

Ten minutes later Lena was being led into the DEO. She spotted Alex in her lab and headed straight for her.

"Any news?"

"No. We're tracking her and J'onn went, too."

Lena eyed the satellite image on the screen in front of them. She spotted Kara easily, the dot representing her glowing much brighter than the others, and moving fast as it took out several other dots one by one.

Alex made a few adjustments and they had a clearer picture of what was going on.

Both Lena and Alex tensed when the dot representing Kara stopped. Lena hated watching and not being able to do anything.

"She does know they have Kryptonite, right?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, but so far she hasn’t alerted them to her presence so they don’t have it at the ready. And finally, there's J'onn."

Another dot moving fast.

Lena's heart thudded against her chest. She wondered if she would ever get used to this feeling, this fear for Kara because she certainly knew she'd never stop worrying.

Then the screen erupted into chaos. Gunshots, explosions, the screen lighting up and going white for a moment…Both her and Alex stopped breathing when they lost visual.

When it came back, Lena kept her eye on Kara making sure she was moving like she normally did. Then she saw a figure she knew all too well.

"Lillian," Lena gasped, pointing at the screen. The image was grainy, but the imposing stature of the woman was easy to recognize.

Supergirl stood rigidly, then J'onn was there. The both of them moved in tandem when Henshaw appeared. Lena almost jumped out of her seat when she saw the cyborg take out a kryptonite knife. J'onn made a motion with his hands and Kara moved out of frame while J'onn took care of the cyborg.

When Kara reappeared she had a disheveled Lillian with her and Lena sagged in relief.

Something was said that alerted Kara because she let go of Lillian and darted away. Next thing Lena knew, Kara's dot was moving again, back toward National City.

Lena jumped when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I need a favor."

She allowed herself a second to enjoy the sound of Kara's voice, safe, before responding. "Whatever you need."

"I need a secure place. Somewhere no one knows about or has access to."

"There's one place."

"Okay, text me where and I'll meet you."

Lena hung up the phone and glanced at Alex. "She wants me to meet her."

Alex waved her off. "Go, as far as I know, that conversation never happened. And tell her to call me would ya?"

Lena nodded, then made her way out of the DEO.

***

Kara glanced at the address, furrowing her brow. With no time to lose and the fact she was carrying a huge chunk of technology, she made the best of the situation.

Eight minutes later she landed on the balcony of Lena's office and waited inside.

The CEO rushed in five minutes later, smiling while she ran up to Kara and gave her a hug.

"I was so worried. Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you did they?" She ran her hands along Kara's arms.

Kara shook her head. "I’m fine, I'll tell you all about it but first we need a place for this."

Lena glanced at the incubator, her eyes widening a bit. "It's grown."

"Yeah, and we need to keep it safe. I don't know if Lillian has anyone else at the DEO and…"

Biting her lip, Lena went to her bookcase moving some items aside to reveal a safe. She opened it and pulled out a keycard.

"Follow me."

Lena inserted the card into a slot on her desk then punched in a code on a holographic keypad. A door toward the back of the office opened. Going through it, Kara noted she couldn’t see through any of the walls.

"It's lined with lead?"

"Yes."

Kara didn’t comment further. They walked through a narrow hallway with a curve to it and a slight decline. After a few moments, they were in front of another door that opened when Lena put her palm in the center.

They entered a room about twenty feet by twenty with nothing inside.

Kara set down the incubator looking for a place to hook it up. When she did she turned to Lena.

"Will you check it? Make sure it's okay?"

With a nod, the CEO went to work. Kara sped out to grab a box of tools and change of clothes. Then food. Then something to sit on.

Then she called her sister to let her know she was safe as was the incubator. She found out Lillian was going to be held at the DEO facility in the desert until her trial as well as Henshaw.

Two hours later, Lena nodded. "Okay, it's fine now. No tracking devices, no chemical signature, no frequency to pick up on, nothing. However, I put in five different security elements to alert me of any tampering, or change of location. We're never losing it again, okay?"

Kara glanced at her hands, unaware she had been wringing her fingers. "You're sure?"

"I am. Now, tell me what happened while I eat."

Handing a container of takeout over, Kara blew out a breath.

"Well, we caught one of the guys who worked for your mom. At first, we thought it was a plant, too obvious…But, we took a chance. J'onn altered his appearance and was able to get close enough to read his mind and find a location." Kara paced the room, looking through the glass into the bubbling liquid. "I needed to get there before they were tipped off. I would have called…"

Lena held up a hand. "It's okay. I get it."

Kara sighed. "I was able to surprise them and keep them off balance until J'onn showed up. Then it was just a matter of getting it done. They took Lillian into custody. I left with the incubator because I needed to make sure it was safe and you're the only person I thought of."

"But how are you sure? Lillian doesn’t make mistakes. I find it hard to believe she let herself get caught."

Kara nodded. "I know, J'onn's looking into it, but for now I'm holding on to hope that things are looking up for us. We deserve it." She sat down then, the events of the day and the emotional impact of it finally settling in.

Lena scooted next to her. "After that explosion in the lab that almost killed you, I had this built. I had four different contractors working on it day and night. No one person knows all the details, plans, security, or location." She leaned over and tapped on a wall. "The lead was meant to protect you from Kryptonite not prevent you from seeing anything, I promise."

Kara nodded. "I know." She wrapped an arm around Lena and pulled her onto her lap. "Are you okay with all this? I know you didn’t exactly sign up for…"

Lena cupped her face with her hands. "I'm fine with it. The security is already set up to allow you in as well."

Kara leaned forward, stealing a kiss. "As if I didn’t have enough reason to want to visit you all the time."

Lena pulled away, eyes wide. "Crap, I was supposed to tell you to call Alex."

"I did, don't worry about it."

"What now?" Lena yawned.

"I guess we should get home." Kara stared at the little being suspended in the liquid.

"Right, like you want to go anywhere right now. I'm sure we can find something to put in here to sleep on."

Kara grinned, pulling the inflatable mattress out of the bag of stuff she brought in earlier.

Fifteen minutes later, everything was secured, and Kara had her arms wrapped around Lena while she fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.

***

Lena woke to the sensation of warm lips on her cheek.

"Morning," Kara said.

"Hmm." Lena stretched her arms, a hand caressing her stomach where her shirt was raised. She turned her head to stare into intense blue eyes and her stomach clenched. Licking her lips she smiled.

"What are you doing tonight?" Kara asked.

Lena squinted. "I don’t know. What am I doing?"

Kara smiled. "Going home after work."

"I think I can manage that."

Lena hid her wince when she stood. A week of sleeping on an air mattress probably wasn’t the smartest decision.

Kara's hands settled on her shoulders. "I love you."

Lena moved to turn, but a strong embrace stopped her. Then Kara's cheek was against hers as they both stared at their future child.

"She's going to be perfect, just like you," Kara said.

Lena rested her hands on top of Kara's where they rested on her chest. "I just want her to be happy."

"She will be."

"How do you know?"

"Because both of us are sleeping in a hidden room on a cold floor on a crappy mattress just to be close to her. Imagine what we're going to do to make her happy."

Lena chuckled. "I hope you're right. I'm still terrified."

Kara kissed her cheek. "Totally normal. I've read all the books. Now, let's get out of here before Jess catches us leaving your office again."

They went back to Lena's apartment and changed for the day.

While at the office, Lena had managed to get some work done between her panic attacks about becoming a parent.

Based on the growth rate, she estimated the child would be mature in six to eight weeks.

Her mother had asked to see her, but Lena had said no. Some part of her knew that all the woman wanted to do was plant a seed of doubt and Lena had plenty already. Part of her wondered if this was all some part of the plan. A sudden lead? A mysterious base found. Her mother caught? Those thoughts plagued her and were the real reason her sleep had been crap the last week.

She'd talked to Kara about it a bit, but the hero was in the same spot as her. Neither one of them knowing what to do or say to reassure the other.

Lena's pen flew out of her hand she was tapping it so much. She jerked back when Alex caught it.

"Hey, been trying to get your attention, you okay?"

"Yeah…how did you get in?"

Alex glanced over her shoulder. "Jess. I think she's worried about you."

Lena smirked. "She thinks I'm working too much."

"Ahh, spending a lot of time here…Got it." Alex sat in the visitor chair. "So, how are you, really?"

Leaning back in her chair, Lena blew out a breath. "I don’t know. I'm happy, don't get me wrong, but also scared, anxious, worried, terrified."

"I figured as much. Kara's been the same."

Lena got up to get a glass of water. "Has she said something?"

"Nope, but I can tell she's worried. And while I can't help with some things, here is what I can do for you." Alex waited until Lena was sitting again before continuing. "Lillian is in an underground cell. The few people who knew about Kara's identity have had a Martian encounter, as well as those who knew about what Lillian created."

"That's good –"

"Hold on, there's more. This is real, she was caught unaware. J'onn checked. She got cocky when no one came after her, let her guard down. This is not part of some greater plan. Do you understand? You and Kara and your…child will be safe."

"How can you be sure? She always has a plan."

Alex leaned toward her. "I'm sure, you need to trust me. She's not going to bother you again."

And the way Alex looked at her, with soft understanding eyes; Lena let out a breath and didn’t care about the tears falling from her eyes.

"Thanks for telling me."

"Anytime. And remember you can call me if you ever want to talk or whatever, we're family now. And I fully expect to be able to spoil that child rotten."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lena chuckled. "I wouldn’t have it any other way."

Alex left then, giving Lena one more small smile.

Three hours later, unable to look at another stock report, Lena packed up her bag and left.

It was weird to go home, for the last week Kara had been meeting her here and then they went to sit in the room. Kara held her while they spoke of their fears and hopes, ate takeout, joked about the mistakes they'd make, shared secrets they'd never told anyone.

Though Lena knew when it came to being a parent her confidence would come from time and experience, it didn’t stop her from the occasional freak-out.

Kara was like no one she had ever met and she knew whatever it was that existed between them was special, unique, and would only grow stronger. The fact Kara felt the same made it all the more special.

By the time she was opening the door to her apartment, her mind had managed to leave work behind and focus on a night at home.

She stopped at the sight that greeted her. Kara in a blue silk robe, holding a glass of wine.

"Welcome home."

"Indeed." Lena dropped her briefcase and kicked off her heels.

Kara helped her out of her suit jacket, then handed her the wine. "Follow me."

Lena trailed after her, a smile splitting her face.

This she could get used to.

***

Kara clenched her fists to try and control her nerves. Lena threw her off balance in the best way, but she still wanted to keep some level of cool.

She led the woman into the bathroom where rose petals floated on the surface of the filled tub and dozens of candles lit the room.

"Thought you might like a bath to relax those muscles that I know are hurting because I'm making you sleep on a crappy air mattress."

Lena opened her mouth, but Kara placed a finger on her lips, getting lost in how soft they were for a second. "I know you don't mind, but I still feel bad and want to do something for you."

Taking the glass from Lena, she set it on the counter and then began to unbutton the other woman's blouse. Lena's fingers stopped her, and she took a step back, raising her brow. She continued to take off her top, letting it slip off her shoulders. Then she unzipped her skirt letting it pool on the floor.

Unable to stay away a moment longer, Kara stepped forward and kissed her. Somehow, she managed to remove her bra, and when she leaned back to allow Lena's hands to undo the sash on her robe, it was all she could do to not pass out at the sight in front of her.

"You're perfect," Kara said.

Lena pushed the robe off Kara's shoulders and let out a small gasp. "And you're perfect."

Forcing herself to remain calm, Kara sank to her knees and grabbed Lena's underwear and pulled it down. She swallowed at the sight, the smell, the rapid beat of the woman's heartbeat.

Standing again, Kara helped Lena into the tub.

"Care to join me?"

Kara nodded, knowing speech was not going to happen. Once in the water, Kara regained some of her ability to function. "Can I was your back?"

Lena turned and Kara grabbed soap and a washcloth.

They spoke softly of their day, caressed one another, and by the end, Lena was leaning back into Kara's strong body.

"We should get out of here, water's cold," Kara said.

They both got to their feet, Kara picking Lena up and settling her on the ground. She grabbed a towel and helped the woman dry off.

Kara tried to calm her heart but knew it was pointless. Lena excited her in ways she'd never experienced before. Leaning forward, Lena met her in a kiss. Kara wrapped her arms around her, lifting her off the ground and heading toward the bedroom.

Soft lighting and more rose petals on the bed.

"If I didn’t know better I'd think you were trying to seduce me," Lena murmured.

Kara smiled into the kiss. "Thank goodness you don't know better then."

Kara laid the CEO down gently never breaking their kiss. Lena's hands roamed across Kara's back. Over her arms, tracing the muscles.

Tiny moans escaped from both of them. The feeling in Kara's stomach grew, a warmth that spread out and was building toward something. And when Kara lowered herself, Lena's legs parted and the hero knew then and there that she belonged to the woman below her, heart and soul.

Letting out a breath, Kara ran her fingers along Lena's side, smiling at the trail of goosebumps. Then Lena pulled her closer, electrical sensations erupting along Kara's skin where they touched.

They spent the rest of the night exploring one another.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff for the most part as they prep for the baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters are not mine, just borrowing them

Lena glared at the open window. A quick glance at the clock confirmed she'd had about an hour of sleep, but when she remembered why, a smile came to her face. Her body was tender in all the right places, and her muscles ached in the best ways. She turned to see Kara, blue eyes open and staring at her in wonder.

"Morning," Lena rasped.

"Hmm, you should get more sleep." Kara pulled her closer.

Lena didn’t argue and closed her eyes.

She woke a few hours later to the smell of coffee. Opening her eyes she was met with the sight of Kara dressed in only a button up shirt, holding a cup.

Lena sat up, reaching for the mug. "Hi."

Kara crawled over her to get to the other side of the bed and Lena wet her lips at the sight.

"Hi," Kara said. "How do you feel?"

"Good, you?"

Kara cocked her head to the side. "Happy, but..."

Lena's stomach dropped. She swallowed, dreading what Kara might say next.

"But?"

Kara twisted the edge of the blanket in her hand. Lena reached out placing her hand on Kara's. "It's okay, you can tell me."

Scrunching up her face, Kara gave her a shy smile. "I kind of wish I didn’t wait sooo long. No one told me how good that was, which is a conversation for another time."

Lena laughed, the tension that had begun to build slipping away. "It's okay, trust me, the wait was worth it."

"Yeah?"

And the soft, shy expression on Kara's face had Lena falling for her all over again. "Definitely."

"Good, all that studying paid off."

Lena choked on her coffee, Kara patting her on the back. "You studied?"

Kara winked. "Yep, and you have no idea all the things I learned. I made breakfast if you want and then maybe we can go to the office?"

All Lena could really think about was what else Kara had learned because the night before was beyond amazing. At the sincere and open look on her face, Lena gave in. There would be time.

Lena raised a brow. "I bet you never thought you'd be asking me to go to work."

"This is true, however, I have all sorts of new and dubious intentions when it comes to getting you in places where I have you all to myself."

Sipping from her mug, Lena grinned. "Really? Should I be worried?"

Kara shook her head. "More like prepared. I recommend lots of fluids. And stretching."

Lena groaned then smacked Kara with a pillow.

By the time they ate, dressed, undressed because of a certain alien discovering her libido, and got dressed again, it was late afternoon.

The building was quiet and the two of them made their way to their secret place. Once inside, Kara headed straight to it, placing her hand on the glass and speaking soft words in Kryptonian.

Lena understood a few of them. She'd created a program with Kara's help to learn it so they could both share it with their child.

The thought stopped her a moment. She took a breath to calm herself.

"My mom wants to meet you."

"Your mom?" Lena knew her heart was racing, she was still processing the whole their child thing and now Kara wanted her to meet her family?

Kara nodded. "Yeah, I know we're doing this in reverse but I thought you guys meeting at the wedding would be awkward."

Lena knew the smile on Kara's face was meant to calm her down, but it didn’t work.

"What?" Her voice might have squeaked.

Kara put her hands on Lena's shoulders. "Take a breath. I was joking. Well, not about my mom, she does want to meet you."

"Of course." Lena hoped she hid the panic in her voice. Did Kara think about marriage?

"You don’t have to be nervous." Kara wrapped her in a strong embrace. "She'll love you just like everyone else does."

"If you say so. Just let me know when."

Lena could do this. For Kara, she would do pretty much anything. Then Kara made a face Lena was all too familiar with.

"About that, um, she invited us for dinner tomorrow."

Lena bit her lip. "Great. That sounds perfect"

Kara chuckled. "You sound like you're going in front of a firing squad. It's just my mom and she pretty much already loves you because of everything I've told her."

"Sorry, I just…parents and me…not good."

"Wow, and you criticize my use of English? Let's get your mind focused on something else."

Kara tugged on her and she assumed they were going to the bed, but instead they were looking at their daughter.

"I hope she looks like you," Kara whispered from behind Lena, her head resting on Lena's shoulder.

***

Kara shook her head when Lena showed up in a car.

"I could have flown us there."

Lena made a face. "True, but I'd rather not meet your mother looking like I just spent an hour teasing my hair and collecting bugs in my teeth."

Rolling her eyes, Kara smiled. "It's not that bad."

"Get in, we’re not going to be late."

"Are you sure? We'll have to spend the night." Kara slipped in the passenger side.

Lena nodded. "Positive, let's go."

"I can drive some of the way," Kara offered.

Lena pulled out and gave Kara the side eye. "Alex warned me about your driving; it's not going to happen."

Turning up the volume on the radio, Kara shook her head. "Sorry, didn’t catch that."

For the next two hours, Kara sang along to several songs on the radio.

"I had no idea you could sing so well, but for some reason, I'm not surprised. Your voice is beautiful."

Kara blushed at the compliment. A lot of people had told her they liked her voice, but hearing it from Lena was different. Then again, she was finding a lot of things different with Lena.

As they neared her foster mom's house, she noted the slight increase in Lena's heart rate.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you something today."

Lena glanced her way for a second. "What?"

"I love you."

Lena chuckled, "Trying to distract me?"

"Depends, is it working?"

Biting her lip, Lena nodded. "A bit, keep talking."

Fifteen minutes later they were pulling into the driveway leading to house Kara grew up in. She took it in, a warm feeling settling over her. She hadn't been back since last Christmas.

She sped around the car and got the door for Lena, taking her hand to help her out. They walked up the path to the front door hand in hand. Kara could hear Eliza puttering around in the kitchen but knew the woman was just as nervous as Lena. This would be the first time Kara brought someone home…someone she was going to have a child with.

Shaking off the bout of nerves taking hold of her she knocked on the front door and then pushed it open.

"Hey, we're here."

"Hi, sweetie." Eliza appeared with a wide smile on her face.

Kara leaned into the hug. When they separated, Kara noticed Lena standing awkwardly, staring at the wall.

"Eliza, this is Lena Luthor…Lena, this is Eliza Danvers, my foster mom."

Lena put out a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Eliza accepted it. "You too, though, I feel like I already know you the way Kara goes on and on….and on."

Kara blushed. "Okay, so what's for dinner?"

"Come on, it's almost ready. Kara, can you set the table, please, and, Lena, would you like something to drink?"

Lena followed behind, grabbing the back of Kara's shirt. "I'll have whatever you're having."

Kara sped through setting the table. When done they each had a glass of red wine in their hands and were sitting on the stools around the center island.

Lena's body was tense, her posture rigid. Kara put a hand on her back and made small circles.

"So, Lena, Kara tells me you like engineering?"

"Yes, I do. Although I don’t have as much time for it as I used to."

Eliza smiled. "Well, from what I've read and heard, you're pretty amazing at it. I hope you find some time."

Lena swallowed, a blush creeping up her neck. "Me too."

"Well, if you have time after dinner I've been working on something and could use a fresh set of eyes?"

"Yes, of course. I'd love to help, Ms. Danvers."

Eliza raised a brow. "Lena, you're a part of this family now, whether you want to be or not. Please, call me Eliza."

Kara smiled at her foster mom's attempts to draw Lena into conversation. Ten minutes later the

table was overflowing with food.

 

"I've missed your pot roast."

"Uh huh, I'm pretty sure you just miss home cooked anything," Eliza laughed.

"No, I can make stuff." Kara protested with a mock frown.

"The microwave doesn't count," Lena murmured.

"You're a lot of things, sweetie, but a cook is not one of them."

Kara grinned in triumph. "Well, it’s a good thing I have Lena, she's an amazing cook."

"Ah, that explains why she's so head over heels for you," Eliza said.

Lena took a sip of her wine, but Kara saw the pink rise in the woman's cheeks.

"Food is one of my favorite words. I can't deny that, however, I'm totally in love with her because she's the most amazing person I've ever met." Kara squeezed Lena's hand and smiled.

"This is wonderful, thank you," Lena said after a moment.

Eliza smiled. "I'm glad, I only impress with the first meal after that it's eat at your own risk in this house. By the way…how is my grandchild? Is that the right way to say it?"

Lena choked. Kara rubbed her back, hoping to calm her down. "Good, great, wonderful."

"Are you okay, dear?" Eliza leaned toward Lena, a concerned look on her face.

"Fine, just went down the wrong pipe."

Kara knew Lena's smile was forced but didn’t know what to do.

"I'm sorry…am I making you uncomfortable, this is new to me," Eliza said.

Lena shook her head. "No, you're great. I…this is new to me, too."

Noting that the CEO's heartbeat had slowed a bit, Kara took over. "She's doing well. You'll get to meet her soon."

"I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure she'll be just as amazing as the both of you." Eliza said.

***

Lena stared at the single bed. "Are you sure Eliza is okay with this?"

Kara handed her a sweater. "Yeah, of course. Come on, I want to show you something."

Tearing her eyes away from the bed and slipping into the warm top that smelled like her girlfriend, Lena trailed after Kara.

They ended up on the back part of the porch that ran around the exterior of the house. Kara stood next to a telescope for a moment then sat down on an outdoor couch and motioned for Lena to join her.

Lena inhaled the smell of the sea, a touch of dew on the grass, and the indescribable scent that was Kara.

"How are you doing?"

Lena thought about it a moment. "Good."

"I'm glad. I really want you to feel comfortable here. My family is your family." Kara slipped an arm around Lena's shoulders, and she leaned into the hero's side.

"Eliza is really nice. When we talked after dinner it was…different but nice. I suppose it's how normal families interact."

Kara gave her a squeeze. "I can't speak for normal, but this family is pretty amazing."

Lena let out a sigh, the warmth of the body next to her relaxing her. "This is nice."

Closing her eyes, she hoped she'd made a good impression on Kara's foster mom. Lena knew the Luthor name came with a lot of baggage, none of which was good nor welcomed.

When she opened her eyes she found herself wrapped in Kara's arms. She wiggled free and snuck out of the bed. She grabbed one of Kara's sweatshirts and threw it on before making her way downstairs and toward the wonderful smell of coffee.

"Morning, sleep well?"

Lena nodded. "I did, thank you. And you?"

"I always sleep better when I know she's safe."

Lena accepted the mug the older woman handed her and sat on one of the stools. "Me too."

Eliza fidgeted with the napkin on the table in front of her. "I know a little bit about the things that happened, more than Kara thinks. I want you to know if you ever need to talk, you can call me. I know how important you are to Kara and that makes you important to me."

Lena took a sip of coffee to give herself a few seconds to deal with the emotions tumbling over her.

"Thank you, that means a lot. Kara's very important to me too."

Eliza smiled. "As if the way you two look at one another didn’t clue me into that."

Muffled noises from upstairs had Lena wiping at her eyes and Eliza turning to the stove.

"Better start breakfast."

Lena slipped off the stool and went to stand next to the older woman. "How can I help?"

When an arm reached out to pull her into a half hug Lena didn’t even flinch.

"Let me teach you the magic that is blueberry, banana, chocolate chip pancakes. Guaranteed to cheer up our favorite Kryptonian no matter what."

And this feeling of belonging. Being a part of something. Family. It didn’t scare Lena anymore.

***

Kara knocked on the door to Alex's apartment. Her sister ushered her inside.

"Let me see."

Digging into her pocket, Kara pulled out the Polaroid she'd taken that morning and handed it to Alex.

"Wow, she's growing fast."

Kara nodded. "I know. Lena thinks it'll be another six to eight weeks. But we really don't know. There's no timeline and it's not like I can look this up, but it's okay. I'm totally okay."

Alex glanced up and smirked. "Breathe, Kara."

"What? I'm fine. Totally good. Not nervous at all. Breathe? You breathe." Kara paced a few steps, huffed out a breath, then paced again.

Raising a brow, Alex led Kara over to the couch. "Right, you're fine, got it."

Kara sighed. "I might be a little nervous, but that's normal. All the books said so."

Of course, none of the books dealt with raising a baby that was part clone with superpowers. Or, how to do it with your new girlfriend that at some point is going to realize she'll never have a normal day ever again.

"Listen, you're not doing this alone."

Kara nodded. "I know. Lena is with me all the way."

Alex shook her head. "No dummy, you have me, and mom, and Maggie, and Winn, and J'onn, and James, and Lucy –"

"It's just a little weird. I always thought a family wasn’t in the cards for me and now all of a sudden…here is it is. It's happening. And with Lena."

Alex leaned back into the cushions of the couch. "Have you two been able to sort things out?"

"Mostly, we're still going back and forth on decorations for the baby's room."

Patting Kara on the knee, Alex smirked. "Yeah, that's not what I meant. Are you getting to know one another outside of work and talking about having a kid on the way in terms other than growth rate?"

Kara frowned. "Sort of? Maybe?"

"Look, I know both of you tend to get wrapped up in your work and I know you sideline your feelings because you're unsure at times and don't want to upset people, but you should get everything out on the table. Because once the baby is here things are going to get crazy."

Kara sucked in a deep breath. She knew her sister was right. Though that didn’t make the actual act of facing things head on any easier.

"Lena's been great these last few months. More than great. Perfect…"

"But…" Alex urged her on.

"I worry that it'll be too much for her. Like she's so used to being in control of everything and life with me, which is new and always full of surprises, and a baby I am sure she hadn't thought about on the way, like how much is too much?" Kara picked at a loose thread on the couch cushion. Her thoughts far more chaotic than she could express to Alex at the moment.

Alex leaned into her. "I know it's tough and scary, but if you think for one second that she isn’t in this for the long haul, I'm taking you to the DEO for a head scan."

Kara let out a small laugh at that. "Okay, I'll talk to her. Thanks."

"What are future aunts who intend to spoil your kid rotten for?"

***

Lena held up a paint sample to the wall. She smiled when Kara entered their place.

"Lena?"

"In the baby's room." Whoa, did she just say…with no hesitation…yeah, she did.

Even though things had settled down over the last few weeks, some things were taking longer to adjust to and some not so much apparently.

Kara came in and stood next to her. "What are you doing?"

"I thought we should pick a color and do it now so there are no lingering odors that might affect the baby, just in case."

Taking the sample from Lena's hand Kara made a hum of agreement.

"How about this, today is about us. Tomorrow we'll paint this whatever color you want."

Kara raised her brows and smiled that smile that Lena was totally weak against. "Deal."

Lena didn’t know what to expect. Kara had been known to take things to the extreme on occasion, not that Lena could talk. But, when the reporter packed up a picnic basket and flew them to a field in the middle of nowhere, she simply went with it.

Setting out a blanket, Kara motioned for her to sit down and then joined her. Lena let out a sigh of contentment then relaxed against her, letting her head settle on a toned thigh. After a moment Kara started to card her fingers through Lena's hair.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Blue," Lena said. "Why?"

"Just wondering."

Lena's eyes were closed, but she felt Kara's shrug. "What's yours?"

"Green."

Lena's body relaxed a bit more.

"What's your favorite food?"

Lena raised a brow. "Hard to say, since meeting you I've discovered all sorts of new things and that picking a favorite is not a good idea."

Kara made a hmph sound.

"What's your fav –"

Lena reached up and grabbed the hand massaging her scalp. "What's going on? What's with all the questions?"

The body under her went rigid and she opened her eyes to look at Kara.

"I just…it's that…getting to know you? We're going to be parents soon and that's a whole new level in a relationship. And I know that spending time together will be harder so…and maybe we should talk about it and the fact things are going to be pretty crazy soon?"

"Ah, I see." Lena pushed herself into a sitting position and faced Kara. She took a warm hand in both of hers. "Well, as for the getting to know me part, we know the important stuff. All the other bits we can learn as we go. Okay?"

Kara nodded.

"Next level…I admit that I never imagined myself as a mom and these circumstances are unique, but I'm doing this with you and it feels right. Which I know sounds crazy…"

"No, it doesn’t. I was shocked at first, and yeah I'm nervous, but I know I'm supposed to do this with you." Kara bowed her head and Lena placed a quick kiss on it.

Lena continued, "Time, well, yeah that will be harder to manage but I'm sure between the two of us we can figure something out."

Kara met her eyes then. "I'll always have time for you and our family."

"Same. I'm going to mess up, I'm telling you now. But just know I'll always do my best."

"Yeah, I of all people know that things happen beyond your control and can mess up plans." Kara sounded down, fear in her voice Lena had never heard before.

Lena smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Things getting crazy? To be honest, I think that might just be our regular state for the next twenty years or so? After all we've been through, you are not getting rid of me that easy. I love you, Kara. I know I don't say it enough, but I do with all my heart. "

Kara resumed playing with Lena's hair. "I love you, too, and you're right."

Lena smiled. "Can I get that on the record, Ms. Danvers?"

Instead of an answer, Lena got a kiss, which she had to admit was better.

They spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around, talking, napping, eating. When the sun started to set Kara took them home.

"That was nice, thank you," Lena said, leaning up to kiss Kara on the cheek.

Kara wrapped her hands around Lena's waist and pulled her close. "Hmm, I still have plans for you, Ms. Luthor."

Lena grinned into the kiss as she felt herself being carried to the bedroom.

Kara's phone rang at that moment and she frowned. "I need to get that."

Lena went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water while Kara dealt with whoever was on the other end of the line.

"I have to go check something out," Kara said, dressed in her super suit.

"What is it?"

Kara walked over and gave her a kiss. "Not sure, Alex said something about a field and fire and a symbol. I shouldn’t be long."

Lena stared at the door for several minutes, an uneasy feeling in her gut.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an angsty one...  
> Characters not mine.

Kara eyed the side of the warehouse. An eerie feeling sinking in her gut. Next to her, she could feel Alex watching.

"I don't recognize it…but it feels familiar somehow."

On the side of the building was a large sigil, burned into the metal.

"We have reports of half a dozen more from all over the place. No witnesses or injuries so far," Alex said.

Kara nodded, needing to move. Something about the symbol made her nervous. "I'll check them out."

Once in the air, she let her thoughts wander. Whatever the symbol was, it was bad. She knew that much. Hovering over yet another mark scorched into a field, she spun when she heard screams and gunfire.

By the time she reached the scene, a dozen bodies lay on the ground. Checking them over, she hung her head when she realized none were alive. She focused her senses to try and pick up a hint, a clue, anything to find out who did it but came up empty.

Tapping the comm device in her ear, she spoke, "Alex, get a team to 10th and Addison. I'll meet you back at the DEO."

Kara paced around the table while she waited for her sister.

"You okay?" J'onn asked.

"I don’t think so." She glanced at the clock. "Tell Alex I'm with my mom when she gets back."

"Sure thing."

When the door slid shut behind her she activated the program. The image of her mother appeared, face placid and calm, but displaying none of the warmth Kara remembered.

"Hello, Kara. How can I help you?"

"Do you know what this means?" Kara held up a tablet with the sigil on it.

When no answer was forthcoming, she shook her head and scanned in the symbol. "Do you know what that is?"

"I do not."

Kara wrinkled her forehead in thought. "The shape of it…it looks Kryptonian. Do you have any idea what else it could be?"

"I am sorry, Kara. It is possible it is from a time before we devoted ourselves only to Rao. Any records prior to then were erased."

Pacing the narrow room, Kara blew out a breath. "Why?"

"They were brutal and savage, constantly at war. Their ideas and beliefs ran counter to the kind of society we wanted to create."

Kara tapped the tablet against her thigh. "So, there's no way to find out what this means?"

"A few chose to go against the council and follow the old ways, but they were imprisoned when discovered. I am sorry I cannot be of more use."

Kara headed toward the door running into Alex on her way out.

"Anything?"

Kara shook her head. "Nope, just some vague reference to the old ways which aren't practiced because you'd get put in prison if discovered."

They walked side by side toward where Winn sat. He turned to face them.

"Preliminary tests indicate the marks were made by…something that leaves a similar residue as a Kryptonian. I'm waiting for the lab work on the bodies you found, but the techs on site said that whatever did it was fast and strong."

Kara crossed her arms. "Like a Kryptonian."

Alex leaned against the table. "Have you talked to Clark?"

"I'll call him now." She slipped her phone out of her boot, sent a text then dialed.

Three rings later and her cousin answered.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I need you to look at the image I just texted you." Rustling on the end answered her.

"What’s that?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. Someone…or something just started leaving it around the city and is now killing people."

"Sorry, I have no idea what it is. Did you check the fortress?"

"I'm about to head there."

He cleared his throat. "Keep me updated? I don't like the look of it."

"Will do." She hung up and sighed.

Alex quirked a brow at her. "Off to your ice castle now?"

Kara nodded. "I'll let you know if I find something out, and tell me if anything else happens."

***

Lena tapped the pen on her desk while she waited for the program to reanalyze the image Kara had brought her a week ago. Not that she couldn’t find one on the Internet. Whoever was leaving their mark wasn’t modest about it. Close to a hundred of them had been sighted so far.

Kara had come straight to Lena after her trip to the fortress to let her know what was going on. Though she hadn't found any new information, she'd explained to Lena what her mother had said about the old ways. They spent a few hours holding each other, and then Kara had to leave. She felt it was important now more than ever that people saw her, knew she was out there patrolling and looking out for them.

Lena agreed, but still worried like crazy. So, while Kara was out, Lena was scouring the Internet and had created a program to search for anything that might be even remotely related to the symbol.

Sirens blared outside her window and she caught sight of a red and blue blur and despite her worries, a small smile came to her face.

Turning back to her computer, she sighed. Whoever or whatever was behind the damn mark had amped up their attacks. So far, all of them had been criminals of some sort, but that didn’t make anyone feel better, especially Kara.

They hadn't seen much of each other. A few minutes here and there. Kara always made sure to be there for a kiss goodnight and appeared with a morning cup of coffee. The thoughtfulness and effort put forth made Lena love her even more.

Lena kept vigil in their secret lab at night with Alex keeping her company until neither one could keep their eyes open. They didn't much about what Kara was up against. Lena's imagination had come up with many things, all of which gave her nightmares. But having Alex around, maybe, just maybe, even in silence, made it bearable.

She eyed the doorway in the back of her office, wondering if she should add more security measures. Making a mental note to ask Kara when she came by to spend time with their future child, she grabbed her phone and called Alex when the computer screen in front of her stopped flashing.

"Hey, got anything?"

"Actually, I do. This time I ran a search on the Fort R'ozz roster."

"Why? What?"

Lena grinned. "When Kara told me what her A.I. mom said, it didn’t hit me at first, but when Winn mentioned that space prison a few days ago, it clicked. They imprisoned people who worshipped the old ways, so I thought maybe…"

"That someone on Fort R'ozz was part of that cult or whatever. That's brilliant. What did you find?"

Lena hit send on the data package. "I’m sending it to you now. It's just a picture of a woman, humanoid, but what made her stick out is the symbols on her neck. They're barely visible but they're familiar."

"Thanks, Lena. You have no idea how much this helps."

She smiled. "Good, I want this to be over."

Alex sighed through the phone. "Me too. I have to be honest, this one makes me nervous."

Lena's stomach clenched, which was surprising since she didn’t think it was possible for her to get any more tense about the current situation. "Same."

"I'll tell Kara. Thanks, again."

The line went dead and Lena set her phone on the desk. Her heart beating faster than normal.

***

Kara bit her lip. A nervous habit she'd had since she was a kid. The woman in the photo, based on the markings, was a priestess. Problem was, Kara didn’t recognize half of the small tattoos on her neck.

"Has facial recognition turned up anything?" She turned to Winn.

"Not yet, but it's only been a few hours."

Alex came up behind her. "Hey, why don't you go see Lena. You've been going non-stop. Even you need a break."

Kara stood with her arms crossed, watching the images flash across the screen. Part of her wanted nothing more than to go to Lena and never leave her again, but another part of her needed to find out what was going on.

"I will in a bit."

Alex put a hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me. I know you're worried. We all are. But you're no good to us exhausted and I'm pretty sure Lena could use some quality time with you."

Kara wrinkled her brow. "Is she upset? I know I haven’t been around much for the baby, but I'm trying to make sure it's safe."

Now, Alex raised a brow. "Go see your girlfriend, that's an order."

"Hey, you're not the boss of me." Kara swatted her sister.

Alex put a hand on her hip and glared. "I outrank you, girl of steel, now get out of here and spend some time with the woman you love."

Kara made a face. "Okay, but then you have to go see Maggie."

"I appreciate the concern, but unlike you I go home at night. Now get, you're acting like I'm making you eat vegetables."

"Okay, no need to go that far. I'll go, but keep me posted."

"Oh my God, why are you still here?" Alex shoved her gently.

Kara set down on Lena's balcony a couple minutes later. She stood for a moment, watching her work. Her body relaxed at the sight. Some of the tension that had overtaken her eased.

She knocked on the door, grinning when Lena almost fell out of her chair turning around.

"What are you doing here?"

Kara raised a brow. "Oh, I can leave if you want, but I haven’t seen you much and thought –"

The rest of her sentence was cut off by a kiss. She brought her hands up, one cupping Lena's face and the other tangling in her hair. They moved closer, Lena's arms wrapping around Kara.

After several minutes, Kara pulled away to get herself under control. Lena's heavy breathing indicated the CEO was just as affected.

"Hi," Lena let out on a soft exhale.

"Hi." Kara ran a thumb along Lena's jawline. "How are you?"

A flush crawled up Lena's neck. "Wishing I wasn’t in my office."

Kara glanced toward the door leading to where Lena's assistant worked. "There is a lock…"

Lena reached under her desk and Kara heard the click of a deadbolt sliding into place.

"Tell Jess you're going to be busy for the next couple of hours." Kara kissed Lena on the cheek, then disappeared down the corridor leading to their room. She spent a moment talking to their baby. 

"Hi, I know I haven't been around much, but I promise everything I'm doing is to keep you and your mom safe." She put a hand on the glass. "And when I finally get to hold you in my arms, I'm pretty sure I'll never let go."

Leaving the room with one last look over her shoulder, she bumped into Lena.

"Uh, I was just..."

Lena placed a hand on Kara's chest. "Shh, you're sweet."

Kara raised a brow. "We'll see if you think that in a moment." Setting her hands on Lena's hips Kara lifted her into the air and sped toward the couch. Lena sucked on Kara's neck, nipping and biting her way down to a collarbone. Kara's hands slipped under Lena's blouse and stroked the most amazing expanse of skin to ever exist.

Lena arched at the contact letting out a groan. "I've missed you."

"It's been way too long," Kara ground out.

Within moments Kara had them out of their clothes and was kissing Lena while she settled herself between the CEO's legs.

***

The warmth of Kara's body behind Lena made some of the worries in her ebb away, but too much remained and surfaced when she thought about the image. She placed her hands over Kara's where they rested on her stomach to try and absorb some of her strength.

"Are you okay? Your heart's going crazy."

Lena turned so her head rested on Kara's outstretched arm and they were face to face, naked beneath Kara's cape.

"This thing…alien…whatever it is you're up against…it scares me." Lena reached out and traced over the small scar on Kara's eyebrow.

Leaning forward, Kara placed a kiss on Lena's forehead. "I know, but whatever it is, we'll stop it."

The words were sure and sincere, and Lena allowed herself to believe them.

They remained wrapped up in one another, reassuring touches here and there, soft kisses and whispered  _I love yous_  filling the air.

Kara's head popped up. "Jess is about to buzz you, a meeting with some foreign investors is about to start."

Lena jolted, almost falling off the couch, but Kara caught her. A second later both of them were scrambling to get dressed.

Lena hopped around on one foot while trying to slip on her shoe and scan the room. "I can't see it, Kara. Where is it?"

The hero appeared, wide grin in place as she held up a finger with a bra dangling from it. "I believe this is what you're looking for?"

Lena grabbed it, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I have to meet with them."

Kara wrapped her in a quick hug. "Remember the rules? No apologizing for going off and doing super stuff, that goes for you, too. I love you."

"Love you, too. I'll see you later?"

Kara nodded. "I'll be home to kiss you goodnight and hold you until you fall asleep."

"I'll be waiting." Lena watched her go, a smile on her face.

***

Kara arrived at the crime scene and headed toward Alex.

"What happened?"

Alex flipped the corner of a sheet so it covered the victim she was inspecting, then got to her feet. "Gun deal interrupted it would seem. Seventeen killed in the span of seconds."

Kara glared at the symbol burned into the wall. She gritted her teeth. No amount of patrolling or helping people out was going to stop the fear from growing.

"I need to stop this."

Alex's face filled with concern. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to call them out."

Kara shot into the air before Alex had time to argue with her about it. She headed toward the warehouse district and chose an abandoned building to burn her crest onto.

She hovered in the air, waiting.

"Kara, hey, you need to come into the DEO," Winn's voice crackled over her comm. "We found her. The woman from Fort R'ozz, she's still here."

"I'll be right there."

Kara landed on the exterior balcony a moment later. J'onn stood there, arms crossed.

"We'll talk about what you did later."

"J'onn, I had to do something. People are dying."

He blew out a breath. "I understand, but you can't just rush in. Come on, she's waiting for us."

Kara followed behind him, surprised when they went to a regular holding cell. "Can't she break out of there?"

J'onn crossed his arms in that signature way of his. "She's not Kryptonian. She also came in voluntarily."

Kara tilted her head to the side. "What is she? What does she know?"

Getting to her feet the woman walked across the small room so she stood facing Kara.

"I studied the old ways of your people. Worshipped the old ones, though, I prayed this day would never come."

"What day? What are you talking about?"

"The day She will rule."

Kara put her hands on her hips, trying to make herself as imposing as possible. "I won't let that happen."

The woman shook her head. "Just like the Kryptonians I remember. Full of yourself and overestimating your abilities. You cannot defeat her. She has one purpose and nothing will stop her from fulfilling it."

"If she's like me, I can and will stop her."

The woman glanced at J'onn then back to Kara. "She is nothing like you."

"Then tell me what she is. Tell me how to stop her," Kara said.  

"It's too late for that. She's dispensing justice. A world killer unleashed, stripping away the ugliness of your world to reveal the truth. Then she will Reign."

Kara met the woman's gaze. "You say you prayed this day would never come, yet you won't help me to stop it."

The woman smiled, but there was nothing warm or sincere about it. "No, not yet. You will die first."

"You don't know me."

The woman's face turned serious. "No, but I know her."

J'onn tugged on Kara's arm and led her into the hallway. "We don't know much. She's been living quietly under the radar. I can't get a read on her mind for some reason."

Kara crossed her arms. "She could be lying. We have no idea if we can trust her."

He let out a breath. "I know, but right now she's all we have."

Winn rounded the corner with Alex in tow. "It's waiting for you."

Kara wrinkled her brow. "What?"

"It, the thing…it's just hovering over where you made your mark," Winn said.

Kara turned to go, but Alex grabbed her arm. "Hey, don't hold back. Please, this one scares me. You go out there and fight for the city and for your family."

Nodding, Kara turned to go. The emotions running through her making it impossible to speak.

***

Lena glanced at the clock and groaned. Her neck ached but she still had a stack of files to go through.

Her phone buzzed and she smiled when she saw it was Alex. "Hello."

"Kara's going to fight that alien. I wanted to tell you before you saw it on the news."

Lena's blood ran cold and she turned to the windows as if she would be able to see Kara. "When…how…where…" Her mind couldn’t focus on any one thing.

"The warehouse district. There are news helicopters already streaming it." The disgust in the agent's voice was clear.

Lena flipped on her television and saw Kara standing in front of a tall, feminine figure wearing a mask, dressed all in black. "I see it."

"I need to go, we're getting a team ready in case. I'll keep you posted."

The line went dead at the same moment the dark figure launched herself toward Kara and rocketed into the air.

Lena's stomach dropped. She got to her feet, closing the distance between her and the TV screen as if it would bring her closer to Kara. She waited for them to reappear.

In a building across from her she heard several windows shatter and when she looked over lights were flickering.

She ran to her balcony to try and see what was happening. Not sure what to do, other than get to Kara, she headed downstairs.

***

Kara bit back a groan when a fist connected with her side. So far, she'd managed to go blow for blow, or close to it, but she was hurting. Another punch to her chest knocked the breath out of her.

She dropped to a knee, knowing she needed to get out of the building they were in. Mustering up some energy she tore across the room and flew her and the alien out into the bay. They tumbled around, dipping below the surface.

For the first time, Kara felt the chill of the water.

Trading blows, the other alien rose out of water dragging Kara with her.

Kara tried to stop her, to fight, but she couldn’t. In the blink of an eye, they crashed into a patch of pavement and left a ten-foot crater.

A water main broke.

A gas line exploded.

Kara managed to get to her feet and face off with the other being once again.

"Are you ready to die?"

"You don't scare me."

"I should."

Kara blocked the first two punches, but missed the third, fourth, and fifth. A kick to her legs had her on her back and before she could move a foot came down on her chest, and she felt several ribs break under the force of it.

What little air she had left in her lungs escaped her. From the side of her eye, she saw legs walking away. She turned toward the crowd gathered and rolled to her knees and held up a hand.

"Get back," she rasped.

Her vision went dark a moment and when she opened her eyes she was flat on the ground, her head throbbing. She raised a hand, eyes wide when she saw her fingers coated in blood.

"Stay back," she said when she saw a shape move toward her.

The fear in one of the onlooker's eyes alerted her to the danger and she put a hand up just in time to catch the traffic light from smashing into her, again.

She thought of Alex, Eliza, Lena, her child, her mom, her dad, everything she had lost. Forcing herself to her feet she managed to take the makeshift weapon away from her opponent and swing it like a bat knocking her a hundred feet away.

That's when she saw Lena. Tears streamed down her face and Kara spared a second to offer her a reassuring smile. Then the alien returned, not a mark on her. Kara hadn't managed to hurt her in the least.

She tossed something toward Kara and she didn’t move. Knowing she lacked the energy and time.

Her chest burned when the symbol of her family was seared away.

Next thing she knew, she was on a rooftop struggling to remain conscious. Listening to this alien, Reign, Kara realized she was going to die. A thought that had only happened one other time. When she flew into space. But then it was her choice. She had prepared, was ready to die then. She didn’t know Alex would save her.

Not now though.

She tried to be defiant, but all she had the energy to do was keep her eyes connected with this…world killer. When the grip around her neck loosened and she fell, she sent out a prayer to Rao to guide her and look after those she loved.

***

Lena's breath came out in ragged gasps.

Her heart alternated between pounding and stopping.

Kara's face, when she saw the blood on her hands, had terrified Lena, and all she wanted to do was run to her. A strong hand on her arm stopped her and she turned to see Alex, her face a mirror image of Lena's.

They didn’t talk, just gripped one another.

A surge of relief had flowed through Lena when Kara got to her feet and fought back, but it was short lived when Kara was knocked into the air flipping over and then being blasted onto a rooftop several buildings away.

Lena moved with Alex, trying to gauge where they might go next.

Lena's chest ached and she forced herself to take a breath when she realized she'd stopped breathing.

That's when she spotted it. Red falling downward.

"Oh, God," Alex gasped.

Lena stood, frozen, unable to accept what she was seeing.

Kara was the strongest being on Earth.

This wasn’t real.

Kara crashed into the ground thirty feet in front of them. The asphalt cracking all around. Alex shot forward, a team of people following her.

Lena took a few slow steps then ran.

"Is she dead?" A little girl asked.

Broken, battered, and bloody, Kara lay unmoving. Her family crest, worn with such pride, was gone.

Her chest didn’t move.

Alex took charge, getting people to back away and let in a stretcher. With quick, precise, and gentle movements they had Kara strapped onto it and moving toward a black van.

Lena moved to follow but was too slow. Panic seized her. She needed to be with Kara.

"Ms. Luthor?"

She looked to her side where a man she didn’t recognize stared at her. "What?"

"Agent Danvers asked me to take you in."

The ride to the DEO seemed far longer than normal. Each second spanning an hour to her. By the time they rolled up and she exited the car a thousand different scenarios had run through Lena's mind, yet they were only a few moments behind the one with Kara.

Lena slipped off her heels and ran up the stairs to where she knew the med bay was. Alex worked with a handful of other people. The hero was unresponsive, pale, barely breathing.

"She's crashing."

"We need to intubate her."

Coldness seeped over Lena's body.

This could not be happening.

Kara could not die.

They'd just found each other.

They were going to start a family…

Monitors beeped. A machine hummed to life and breathed for Kara. Her chest rising and falling in a rhythmic, unnatural manner that did little to make Lena feel better.

Kara's heartbeat dropped again and Lena's chest seized. A firm grip on her arm kept her from falling to her knees.

J'onn wrapped an arm around her. "I got you."

"Everybody, let me work," Alex said, an agent clearing the room.

Lena stepped six inches outside and glared at anyone who came near her. The hell if she would be more than an inch away from Kara than necessary.

Through the glass, Alex worked with two others. A scan was made via some sort of alien technology and the results on the screen were terrifying.

A skull fracture ran along the right side of Kara's head. Her cheekbones were shattered, ribcage in tatters. Small breaks were scattered among her fingers and along her forearm. Other areas drew her attention, dark spots that could be different organs or signs of internal bleeding.

Around her, Lena wasn’t aware of how time moved. The only thing in her world at the moment was the beep of the machine letting her know Kara's heart still beat and the rise and fall of her chest.

"Lena."

She recognized Alex's voice, and from the sound of it, it wasn’t the first time she'd tried to get the CEO's attention.

"Is she…" Lena refused to make eye contact with Kara's sister because she knew that would break her.

"It's bad. She's critical. The blow to the head caused her brain to swell and nothing we have is working to relieve it. There are internal injuries…we're doing what we can."

Lena nodded, understanding the helpless tone in Alex's voice. She bit her lip when fresh tears fell. "Can I sit with her?"

"Of course."

Making her way into the room, Lena ignored the shredded suit lying in the corner. She picked up the dirty cape and squeezed it before leaning over and kissing the scar above her left eye, the only area on Kara's face that wasn’t bruised, broken, or scabbed over.

Taking a seat, she wanted nothing more than to have Kara open her eyes. To look into those baby blues.

Tubes, wires, and sensors were everywhere and Lena was scared to accidentally move one. With care, she wrapped her fingers around Kara's forearm.

"I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can…I love you. I wish I said it more. But I promise to say it as often as possible from now on." She twisted the cape in the fingers of her free hand. "We never decided on a color for the baby's room. We have to do that. And a name, we need to pick one."

Her throat burned and she forced her voice to remain steady when she spoke. "I guess it's my turn to be here when you sleep. I'm just gonna sit here and watch over you. Make sure you're okay."

A sob escaped her then and thin, muscular arms wrapped around her.

"It's okay. She's going to be fine," Alex said in an equally broken voice. "She has to be."

The two sat there, holding on to Kara, to each other.

Waiting.

Praying for a miracle.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Characters not mine, just borrowing them...

Kara opened her eyes, a haze in the air making it difficult to see where she was. Her memories were spotty, but she had a gut feeling something pretty bad had happened.

She shook her head to try and clear the fog around her thoughts, which caused her stomach to rebel. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she clenched her hands.

After a few moments, her vision cleared.

Sun Room.

DEO.

The bed flickered beneath her but provided no real warmth.

She sat up and threw her legs over the edge. When her feet came in contact with the ground she shivered at the chill.

Her cape caught on the corner of the bedside table and she glanced down at her tattered suit. Running a hand over the burned crest, a wave of anger mixed with melancholy spread over her. She peeled it off and grabbed a set of DEO sweats from the end of her bed.

Peeking her head out the door, she was relieved to see no one around. Night shift she assumed. No one to yell at her for being up and about. Though, she knew Alex was probably in her lab, and would most assuredly rip her a new one.

Lena. She needed to call Lena and tell her everything was okay, but her phone had been trashed in the fight. She headed toward where Alex should be, ready to face whatever her sister had to say as long as Kara could make a call. Confusion settled over her when she found an empty room.

Taking the stairs down to the control center, she expected to find J'onn and Winn working, but instead found a vacant area. Not a single soul present.

Around her, signs of a fight started to appear. Burn marks, bullet holes, crumbling walls, shattered windows.

She spun trying to figure out what was going on only to come face to face with a war-torn landscape littered with wrecked vehicles, abandoned buildings, and piles of bones.

Running forward with no destination in mind, but needing to move, she screamed.

***

Lena gave Kara's hand a gentle squeeze. Worry about causing the hero more pain ran through her. In less than forty-eight hours, all the major breaks had begun to heal, the darker of the bruises had faded, and some color had returned to the hero's face.

The breathing tube could almost be ignored, almost.

She dipped her head to listen to Kara's heart. The fifty-six seconds it had stopped beating had seemed like an eternity to Lena. Now, she was obsessed with the sound of it.

Stretching her arms, Lena grabbed her empty mug and got to her feet.

Alex, who had been sacked out on the couch in a restless sleep, opened her eyes. "Hey, everything okay?"

Lena nodded. "Just getting some more coffee."

"Can you bring me some?"

"You sure?"

Alex ran her hands down her face. "Yeah, it's not really sleeping if it's nightmares, right?"

"Agreed." Lena didn’t push it. She knew Alex had spoken with the female alien they had in custody. A team had been assembled and left, destination unknown to Lena.

For now.

Lena left the room with one last glance at Kara. She bumped into Winn and they chatted while she made her way to the make-shift break room next to Kara's.

"Hey, how is she?"

"Better, I think."

He let out a sigh. "That's great. She should be up and about in no time."

Lena filled her mug and grabbed one for Alex. She turned to Winn. "I hope so."

"Me, too," he called after her.

Back in Kara's room, she handed Alex her mug.

"Thanks."

"I saw Winn."

Alex frowned. "Any news?"

"No idea, he just asked about Kara."

Sipping her coffee, Alex hummed, "Superman's coming by again later. Said he might be able to help out with Kara."

Lena froze. "I shouldn't be here when that happens."

The first time he had dropped in, Lena had been sleeping in Alex's office, or at least trying to. He hadn't been able to do much but did offer to keep an eye on National City while Kara recovered and see if he could find anything to help defeat the new threat.

Alex reached out and put a hand on Lena's forearm. "This is exactly where you should and need to be. He'll understand, trust me."

"Come on, we both know what my brother did to him."

"You aren’t your brother. You’ve proven that beyond a doubt. It'll be okay." Alex stood next to her now, arm around Lena's shoulders.

Lena didn’t say anything, just kept her gaze on Kara. "I feel so useless."

Alex sat in the chair next to hers. "Me too."

Lena ran her hand through Kara's hair. "Do you think she's in any pain?"

"I don't know. I've never…she's never…"

Lena nodded. "Well, when she wakes up we're going to make sure she never does again."

"How do you plan that?"

Looking over her shoulder at Alex, Lena allowed a small smile. "I have a few ideas. You going to tell me about that team you sent out?"

Alex shrugged. "It's a long shot, but the only one we have right now. That woman, she's some sort of priestess. She said there's a specific color Kryptonite that can…stop her? I'm not sure in what way she meant. We couldn’t send Superman for obvious reasons, so we sent a team to try and find it."

"How did you know where to look?"

Alex shifted her eyes from Lena's. "The files you gave Kara on possible Cadmus locations. We're using them as a guide."

Lena made a mental note of the information. "So, this Reign was stronger than Kara? And matched her power for power."

"Yeah, even if we find a way to stop her…we have no way to contain her if it comes to that."

Biting her lip, Lena closed her eyes. Kara's voice in her head reminding her she didn't kill, that there was always another way.

"What color Kryptonite are you looking for? I thought there was just green and that synthetic red one that idiot Lord made."

Alex leaned forward, hand resting on Kara's leg. "Well, we ran into silver last year so who knows how many colors there are."

"I need to go to the office for a bit. I'll be back in a couple of hours, call me if there's any change?" Lena glanced at Alex.

"You don't have to leave because of Superman."

Lena shook her head. "I need to check on your niece."

Alex raised a brow. "Right, your daughter. You did go back last night, didn’t you? Everything okay? Should I…"

"No, stay with Kara. I'll be back as soon as I can."

With a sigh, Alex shook her head. "Okay, but be careful."

"I will."

And with that, Lena was on her way to L-Corp.

***

Kara's chest heaved. She sucked in lungfuls of air.

A new thing for her.

The air tasted of soot and decay.

Making a face at the smell she covered her mouth. Her footsteps were heavy, loud. Around her nothing made noise. Not a bird, dog, insect…Nothing.

A twisted piece of rebar caught on the leg of her sweatpants and she tripped. Pain lancing through her body when her knee slammed into a chunk of concrete.

Whatever hellish place she was, she didn’t have her powers.

She got to her feet and walked, aimlessly, or so she thought.

Ending up in front of the remains of L-Corp, her heart squeezed at the sight.

There was nothing left.

"Lena…"

No Alex.

No Lena.

The words that priestess had said to her came back now.

Kara had to die first.

She couldn’t remember the context, or why, or what happened after, but looking around she hoped to Rao that this wasn't it.

Her side ached and her powers were gone. The sun's rays blocked by dark, thick clouds.

A bit of paper crinkled under her foot and she glanced at it, then grabbed it off the ground.

Her eyes going wide at the headline.

***

Lena checked over the wires running to the vat and made sure the backup generators were ready to go in case there was a power failure.

Kara's fight had come close to her building, but luckily nothing too serious had been affected. She spent several moments watching the tiny life. Wondering what she would be like. Would she look like Kara? She hoped the Kryptonian genes shone through more so than the Luthor ones no matter how much Kara said she wanted a mini Lena running around.

She kissed the tips of her fingers and pressed them to the glass. Locking the door on her way out she returned to her office.

Hitting the intercom she spoke, "Jess, I'm heading down to research and then leaving for the day. Forward important calls to my cell and tentatively reschedule any meetings to next week."

"Yes, Ms. Luthor."

Lena opened her safe and took out a USB drive, picked up her laptop and exited her office. The ride down to the R&D Department was uneventful, thankfully. Once in the lab she went to a section meant only for her and her projects. Passing the biometric scanner she entered her private workshop.

On the table sat an item she'd been working on for months. She ran a hand over it, trying to smooth it out. A sad smile formed on her face and she hefted the creation into a box.

With nothing more to do, and a text from Alex letting her know that Superman had come and gone, Lena went back to the DEO.

Entering the government facility had become easier since Alex had apparently spoken with a few agents and made it clear Lena was to be respected and treated nicely, or else. The thought warmed her and she added to her list of mental notes to do something nice for Kara's sister.

Once on the main floor, she slowed at the flurry of movement. Agents were running around carrying odd looking items. Alex barked out orders from inside Kara's room and Lena almost tripped in her haste to see what was wrong.

"What's happening? Is she okay?"

Alex glanced at her, water soaking her from head to toe. "What?"

Kara lay on her sunbed, looking very much the same as when Lena had left. "I saw…and the agents…"

Alex wiped her hands on a towel. "Oh, right. Superman brought something from the fortress. It's a healing chamber. He had a far more complicated name for it, but basically, it harnesses solar power and infuses Kryptonians with it. We just need to get Kara in there without taking her off the ventilator."

A slime-like substance coated the floor and Lena made a face when her shoe stuck to it. "And what happened?"

"Oh, that, we had a small mishap when we opened it, but everything should be fine now."

Alex's smile wasn’t very reassuring, but Lena went along with it.

"Did he say anything about the fact she's in a coma and can't breathe on her own?" Lena tried not to judge, but…

Wrapping a new towel around her shoulders, Alex shook her head. "No. His best bet is she suffered significant damage to the head and that's slowing down everything else."

Lena set the box down and assessed the situation now that her heart was beating normally, or as normal as it could under the circumstances.

"And he left…is it good or bad he didn’t feel the need to stay with her?"

Checking the machine currently keeping Kara alive, Alex raised a brow. "I suspect he's a lot like Kara. Not a fan of sitting around. He's out there looking for Reign."

Lena blew out a breath. "Great, and what does he think he can do that Kara can't?"

"Let's hope we don't find out."

Lena and Alex, along with three other agents spent the next half hour adapting Kryptonian technology with DEO tech and managed to get Kara into the chamber. When finished, she was in an upright position, tubes and wires running to sensors that were attached to DEO monitors.

When it filled with the thick liquid, Lena almost panicked. As far as she knew, Kara couldn’t breathe underwater. Next to her, Alex tensed as well, but other than a small jerk, Kara didn’t react to the liquid filling her lungs.

"I'm gonna shower, yell if anything happens."

And with that, Lena was alone in the room with Kara. The watery substance and odd lighting giving her an ethereal quality.

She placed her hand on the glass, hating the physical barrier to touching Kara.

"I miss you and I'll be here when you wake up. You've always believed in me, and I'll always believe in you."

She turned and went the couch. Pulling her laptop out she went through the files she had on her brother that she hadn't given to Kara because they weren't related to locations. Instead, these ones talked of what he'd discovered.

***

Kara's eyes read the words over and over again.

_A World Without Supergirl._

Beneath it, an article detailed all the events that happened after Kara fought Reign and was never seen again. Within days National City was under her control. People terrified to go out. The military was sent in with no success. Reign's domination spread after that. Metropolis fell next, along with Superman.

Her hands trembled the more she read. Stories of people trying to be heroes, standing up to the alien to no avail. Tears pooled in her eyes at the list of people killed.

An op-ed penned by Cat Grand talking about resisting and standing firm caused her chest to hitch.

When she got to a special section submitted by Lena Luthor (in memoriam) about believing in others, she had to stop due to the sobs wracking her body.

Tossing the paper to the ground, she examined the building in front of her.

L-Corp. A place she was familiar with. She wiped at her eyes angrily and climbed on top of the rubble.

None of this was real. It couldn’t be.

But she started to dig anyway.

***

Lena's eyes ventured to examine Kara floating in her chamber every few moments. Alex had come in at some point and when Lena explained what she was doing the agent had offered to help.

How much time had passed, the CEO wasn’t aware, but what they had discovered gave her a tiny spark of hope.

"Lex found black Kryptonite. The problem is it was such a small sample he couldn’t run many tests on it. His notes are speculation at best, but he thought it had the ability to separate a Kryptonian, one half human and the other alien." Lena scanned the notes in front of her, hoping to find more information. "Something about psychological effects but no explanation as to what he meant by that."

Alex set her tablet down. "Do you know where it is?"

Lena shook her head. "It doesn’t say."

"There has to be something…someone who knows." Alex blew out a frustrated breath.

"Before Lex went mad, he was meticulous about how things were done. That sample, as rare as it was, would have gone into his personal vault." Lena bit her lip, thinking.

"The DEO raided it, didn’t we?"

Lena nodded. "Yes, but this is Lex we're talking about. His secrets had secrets. You need to send a team back there. Look for hidden sections, building schematics that might show any void spaces, vents that seem to go nowhere."

Alex grabbed her phone. "Which one, there was one at the mansion in Metropolis and Luthor Corp?"

The clock was ticking, time was precious and not to be wasted. "The mansion."

"We’ll need…"

Lena waved her off. "You have my permission."

Alex left to issue orders and organize a team. While she did that Lena stared at Kara. Her hair floating around her like a halo. They'd removed the breathing tube when she showed signs of starting to breathe on her own.

She'd never admit it out loud, but she had been terrified the first couple of days that the hero wouldn’t make it. And that thought had kept her up at night. The images of Kara, bloody and beaten, a horror show in her mind every time she closed her eyes. It wasn’t until she thought of the child made from the both of them, of how Kara defied the odds and survived the loss of her planet, being stuck in the Phantom Zone for twenty-four years, and having to adapt to a whole new world that Lena realized Kara, not Supergirl, but Kara was stronger than any hero, and a peace had settled over the CEO.

However that chamber worked, it was healing Kara. Almost all the bruises were gone and scans indicated all the breaks had knitted themselves together. So, Lena took solace in that.

Now, they just needed her to wake up.

***

Kara ripped a bit of her shirt off and wrapped her bleeding hands. Continuing to dig through the broken chunks of concrete, unsure what she was looking for. Sweat beaded on her brow even though the temperature was far cooler than normal, not that she really knew what normal was.

Breathing had become easier. Her body no longer ached, but the throbbing in her head would not ease up.

Sighing she tossed another bit of debris away, feeling some strength behind the throw. She flexed her arms experimentally, happy when she felt her muscles working.

Alex would die. Lena would die. Her child would die.

The whole world would be destroyed if she didn’t figure this out.

She sat on the ground, a puff of breath escaping her.

Reign had beaten her once. But it wouldn’t happen again. She couldn’t let another world die.

Getting back to her feet she resumed digging.

***

Alex sat next to Lena. "We got it. They're transferring it here now. Winn's prepping to run some tests on it."

"Good. At the rate Kara's healing now, she should be out of there soon," Lena said.

"She better, I need to kick her butt for worrying me like this."

Lena chuckled. "You and me both."

At that moment Kara's hands pushed out against the glass then fell back. Alex and Lena were at the side of the chamber in half a second. Both of them trying to make sense of the readings and not panic at the alarming number of beeps being issued.

The liquid started to drain and Lena's eyes darted around to see if there was a leak. "What's happening?"

Alex pulled a monitor closer to her. "It says she's healed. It's clearing so she can exit."

Lena's heart pounded in anticipation. In a few minutes, she'd get to hold Kara and feel the hero's arms around her. Nervous anticipation filled her the same way it did when they went on their first date.

When the chamber hit the half-empty mark, Kara's head fell to the side limply. Lena tried not to read too much into the movement or lack thereof.

"Why isn’t she waking up?" Alex asked. "She should be waking up."

Lena reached for a towel, kicking into _handle it_ mode.

The door opened with a sucking noise when Alex pulled on it. Kara fell forward and Lena and Alex were both there to catch her. Wrapping her up in the towel and then pulling her out, Lena sat so Kara's head rested on her lap.

Alex grabbed one of her tools from the table next to her and scanned Kara with it.

"Kara? Can you hear me?"

Lena ran her fingers through Kara's hair. Leaning down, she whispered into her ear. "Hey, you need to wake up now. I need you…your family needs you." The liquid covering Kara helped mask Lena's tears, which she was grateful for.

"Come on, Kara. Please, wake up," Alex had her hands on Kara's face.

Then, a fluttering of eyelids. An arm moving, hand reaching out, a leg extending…and then blue eyes were staring at Lena.

She swallowed. "Hey there."

"Hi," Kara croaked, hand flopping around until Lena took hold of it and squeezed. "Love you."

"You're…thank…I was…," Alex sputtered, only stopping when Kara managed to place her free hand on Alex's forearm.

"Sorry I worried you."

"You're back now, that's all that matters." Alex laid on the ground next to her sister. "I'm still going to lecture you later."

Kara chuckled weakly, "I'd expect no less."

Kara met Lena's eyes again and the CEO smiled, incapable of doing much else. Her body sagged in relief, and the invisible band that had been tightening around her every moment Kara remained unconscious loosened itself.

Lena felt Kara go rigid a moment. "The baby?"

"She's fine."

"Thank, Rao."

***

"I feel fine, really. Better than before."

Alex glared at her. Lena raised a brow. "Kara, you just woke up, we haven’t slept in days, humor us."

Letting out a small sigh of frustration, Kara let Lena and Alex fuss over her. In the moments after she woke up, all she could do was alternate between holding them. Her body shuddering with relief. While she did, they explained just how bad her condition was and that her cousin had to bring in something from the fortress to help her, she kept her mouth shut after and let them do whatever they needed to reassure themselves.

If she was honest, she needed it too. Watching them, hearing them, feeling them…whatever hellish mindscape she'd been in had felt all too real. Those headlines lingering in her mind and leaving her twitching with a need to make sure all of this was real. That they were still alive.

Let alone the last image before she finally broke through.

The sudden memory jolted her back into the present.

"The baby…how is she? Is she okay?"

Lena gripped her hand tighter. "She's fine. Remember?"

Kara exhaled. She'd seen the vat under the rubble after all her digging. Cracked and broken. A tiny skeleton…and it had kick-started something in her. An anger so strong and deep it scared her.

Shaking her head, she zoned in on Lena's heartbeat to calm herself down. Everything was okay. Everyone was alive.

"Does Winn have the results back on the black Kryptonite?"

Alex shook her head. "Just the usual. It has the same radioactive signature as the green and silver samples from your planet. As to what it does, all speculation at this point."

"I have to get back out there."

Both Alex and Lena made the same face, they'd definitely been spending too much time together, Kara realized.

"You literally just woke up…"

"Are you insane? We need a plan and backup…"

Kara held up a hand. "I don't mean to fight Reign. You say she's been getting active again, right? And that people are scared? Well, it's not going to get any better, so…"

Lena rested her head on Kara's shoulder. "An appearance from Supergirl would give people some hope, something to believe in."

The hero tried to hide her shiver at the words but knew she failed when Lena raised her head and gave her a questioning look.

"Yeah, something like that." She got to her feet searching the room. "Where's my suit?"

"Uh, about that. Winn's working on it, but it took some serious damage." Alex rubbed the back of her head. "He's not sure how long it will take with everything else going on."

Lena cleared her throat. "I may have something."

Kara watched her head toward a box in the corner of the room and lift it, struggling a bit. She sped over to help her.

Moving to open it, Lena stopped her. "I started working on this before we…well, I just wanted to do something good for you after the whole saving me from a Kryptonite explosion thing."

"Thank you." Kara set the box on the sunbed and wrapped her arms around Lena, letting the woman sink into the embrace, both of them needing it.

She pulled away reluctantly a few moments later and opened the box. A grin broke out on her face at what she saw. The crest of her family. She lifted out the new suit, taking in the design. This one was full body, covering her legs. The material was thicker and she squinted to try and determine what it was.

"I used the same material as your old suit but enhanced it. I also incorporated the anti-kryptonite tech into it, hence it covering most of your body. The only thing I couldn’t replicate was the cape."

Alex stood next to her examining it with wide eyes. "Lena, this is amazing. How did you…you know what, never mind. I should know better than to underestimate you when it comes to Kara's well-being."

Kara slipped into the suit, adjusting to the feel of her legs being covered. The top went higher, with a collar and the boots were different too, but she liked them. In the corner, she spotted her cape and attached it. The final look was…nice. Really nice. The top was a deeper blue than her old suit, but it made the El crest stand out more. The pants were burgundy with matching boots a few shades darker. A black belt connected the two.

"Lena, I love it."

Wringing her hangs, Lena looked at her, eyes filled with doubt. "Really? If you don’t like it, it's okay. I just thought this was better. Safer."

Kara lifted Lena up and kissed her. "Really, it's amazing."

Glancing at Alex she bit her lip. "Can I steal Lena for a bit and go to L-Corp? I want to see…her."

Alex's eyes glazed with tears. "Of course, but take it easy. No hero stuff. Your cousin's in town to deal with that, and you should call him." Alex handed over a new phone to Kara.

"Ms. Luthor, can I take you for a ride?"

"You can take me wherever you want."

***

Lena didn’t let go of Kara when the hero landed on her office balcony. She needed the physical contact. To feel her warmth.

They made their way to the secret room and Kara headed straight for the incubator. Her face was wet with tears, and her body was shaking.

"Hey, what's going on? She's okay. I made sure of it." Lena tried to reassure her.

"I know. I just needed to see. I had a…dream or nightmare really, and I just needed to see her."

Lena wrapped an arm around her waist. "Want to talk about it?"

Kara shook her head "Maybe later. Right now I need to meet up with Kal and make a few appearances around the city."

"Not right away?"

Kara moved to stand behind Lena and rested her chin on the CEO's shoulder. "Not right away."

Three hours later Lena was sitting behind her desk, worry gnawing at her gut. Work had distracted her for about two hours, but as soon as the first news story broke of a Supergirl sighting, her concentration was shot to hell.

Her eyes flickered to the screen every time there was an alert, her body going rigid with the fear of another faceoff with Reign. She had packed up and gone home, not worried because she wasn’t even supposed to be there.

Thankfully, Reign never appeared and a very alive looking Kara landed on their balcony just before midnight.

Lena made her a stack of the grilled cheese she knew the hero loved and they sat and talked. Despite the severity of Kara's injuries, Lena was happy to see she was completely healed.

"It's strange to be sitting here with you…this morning you were," Lena trailed off, not sure she could get the words out.

Kara came around the table, out of her suit and in a t-shirt and sweatpants. "Hey, I'm okay, Usually, I heal really fast. The past few times were…not the norm."

Lena sank into the warmth that was Kara. "Yeah, it's just hard and I know it's not your fault and I'm sorry but seeing you in pain is not my favorite thing."

Kara picked her up and carried her to the couch. "I'd be worried if it was and I'm sorry you were worried. I know the feeling and I can't say it's one of my favorites."

Resting her head on Kara's shoulder, Lena hummed her agreement. Eventually, hands reached out to one another, and kisses were exchanged, and then they were in bed. Clothes stripped off. Fingers touching and caressing. Both of them reassuring themselves and the other that they were there.

That they were alive.

That this was real.


	12. Chapter 12

Kara futzed with the napkins on the table then moved the candles.

"You think it looks okay?"

Alex raised a brow. "Not if it's keeping you distracted."

Speeding to her sister, who was relaxing on the couch, Kara flopped down beside her. "How are you so calm about this?"

"Do I really need to answer that?"

Kara sighed dramatically. "You're supposed to be calming me down and talking me through this."

Alex tossed the magazine she had been reading on the coffee table. "Okay, what do you want to talk through…again…for like the hundredth time?"

"I'm revoking aunt privileges."

"No, you're not." Alex ran her fingers through Kara's hair.

"What if she doesn’t want to? I mean with everything that's happened I wouldn’t blame her. In fact, I should probably wait and see if she decides to stick around." Kara sat up, nodding to herself.

"Okay, I see we went straight to the crazy talk portion of the meltdown, good to know."

Kara swatted Alex on the shoulder. "This is not crazy talk!"

"It totally is, you big alien doofus. Lena adores you and is not going anywhere." Alex moved to examine Kara's head. "Maybe there's some trauma I missed."

Getting to her feet, Kara pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know she loves me, but is that enough? I mean…it might not be. And like forever is a long time."

Alex grabbed Kara's hand. "Hey, Lena isn’t going anywhere. If this worry you have is about Reign, we'll figure it out. I don’t think you should make any decisions right now, good or bad. For your sake and Lena's."

"You're right. It's only been a few days since I woke up…want to go check on the baby? We can pick up Lena while we're there and get some dinner after?"

"Finally, you're talking some sense."

***

Kara circled the city three more times before returning to L-Corp. There had been no sighting of Reign for over two weeks and while Kara was torn on what she wanted to happen, she didn’t trust this break.

Part of her wanted to stop the menace and make sure whatever her plans were they never happened. The place she had been while in a coma still haunted her dreams and even the girl of steel wasn’t able to hide the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes.

Another part of her, the scared part, hoped Reign was gone. Never to come back. No chance of her hurting those Kara cared about and no longer her problem to deal with.

With a sigh, she set down on the balcony outside Lena's office and slid open the door. It was well past midnight and Lena had gone home for a few hours after Kara had promised she'd take it easy.

Making her way to where their baby was she stood there, staring. Soon, she would be a mom. The thought no longer terrified her. The embryo was growing at a steady, if not faster than predicted, rate. Her current size was just a tad smaller than the skeleton in Kara's dreams and she clenched her fists while tears streamed down her face.

She walked up to the tank placing a hand on it.

"I know you can't hear me, but I need you to know I love you so much already and am going to do everything in my power to protect you and your mom."

So many other things wanted to come out but Kara wasn’t one for making promises she couldn’t keep. Instead, she promised to do the best she could. To always do right by her family and the people of the world. To be the kind of person her daughter could look up to.

The sounds of the morning work crew broke her from her thoughts and she winced. Locking everything up, she flew home as fast as she could.

The sight of Lena, half sitting/half leaning in bed with a book on her chest made Kara smile. She eased her into a more comfortable position, already knowing the CEO's neck was going to be stiff when she woke up. Using a gentle touch, Kara massaged the muscles, talking softly to lull her back to sleep when Lena showed signs of waking up.

She spent the next hour holding Lena close. Inhaling her scent, listening to her heart, sinking into the warmth of her in Kara's arms.

When Lena stirred, Kara slipped out of bed and went into the kitchen to start some coffee and see if there was anything to scrounge up for breakfast.

"Morning…are you just getting in or are you leaving?"

Kara glanced up from the apple she was cutting. "Uh, leaving. I was going to go check in with the DEO. The coffee's ready and here's some fruit and yogurt." Kara placed the items on the table.

Lena rubbed at her eyes and threw her hair into a messy bun. "I feel like I never see you anymore."

"I'm sorry. Did you pick a color for the nursery? I can pick it up and paint it later." She grabbed a glass and filled it with water, hating how on edge she was.

"I thought we were going to do it together?" Lena bit into a slice of apple, watching Kara.

"Oh, we can. I just thought with how busy you are and everything else…I could just get it done so it's one less thing to worry about"

Lena pursed her lips. "Of all the things I have to do, painting is causing me the least amount of stress. You on the other hand…"

"I'm not stressed."

Standing up, Lena moved toward Kara. "I know, you're tense and nervous and something else I can't put my finger on. But I need you to talk to me, okay? I can only do this if you're with me and right now I feel you slipping away."

Kara's shoulders sagged a bit. "I need to stop her, until then I won't know you're safe or the baby or my sister or the city…"

Lena crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you think I'm unaware of that? I sat next to you wondering if you were going to die. I had to listen to a machine breathe for you. I still hear it in my dreams. I know you have to stop her and that scares the hell out of me. But you can't do this alone…sneaking into the house late and leaving early." Lena relaxed her posture. "I know you hold me, I can still smell you when I wake up. Please, let's do this together."

Kara bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I saw her skeleton in that place. It was so tiny, not much bigger than she is now. When I sleep, it's all I dream about."

Lena wrapped her arms around Kara's waist and rested her head against her chest. "That's horrible, but it hasn’t happened…it was just a nightmare. She's still there and I'm right here."

Kara kissed the top of Lena's head. "I know."

***

Lena examined the results of the latest test her and Alex had run on the black Kryptonite. Once again, inconclusive.

"We have no idea what it does for sure. When we expose it to Kara's blood nothing happens," Lena said.

Alex looked up from the monitor in front of her. "I know, not to mention we have to think of a delivery method. We don't want Kara to come into contact with it."

"At least it doesn’t seem to weaken her."

"Yeah, but enough for now. Don't you have a date?"

Lena made a face when she glanced at her watch. "Yes, are you going to be okay here?"

"Get out of here, I can't work with all your incessant chatting," Alex smirked.

"Ha ha…fine, but, call me if you find anything."

"Will do, but I'm taking tonight off to have dinner with Maggie."

Lena nodded. "Tell her I say hi."

Twenty minutes later, Lena was standing in the paint aisle looking at various colors next to Kara.

"No pink. I want something gender neutral."

Kara nodded. "Okay, how about green?"

Lena shook her head.

"Purple?"

Lena made a face.

"Are there any you were thinking of?" Kara asked with a playful lilt to her voice.

"Well, I did some research and they say that yellow is a great color to encourage learning and creativity. I thought maybe something like that?"

Kara moved toward the yellow section. "Okay, they have like a hundred different shades of yellow, you're gonna have to narrow it down."

Lena stood next to Kara, smiling when she slipped her arm around Lena and pulled her closer.

While they flipped through the samples, she thought about the last week. Since her talk with Kara, the hero had been coming home and sleeping with Lena, waking up with her, and their lunches were back on track. Of course, the occasional Supergirl emergency came up, but that was normal, it wasn’t Kara pulling away.

"How about this one? Yellow tart." Kara held up the sample.

Lena shook her head. "No, and you only like that one because you're hungry."

"I am not." Kara's stomach rumbled and she studied a paint strip intently.

"What about this one? Moonlit Yellow."

Kara examined it, then nodded. "I like it. Two gallons should be enough."

Lena headed toward the brush section, Kara pushing the cart behind her. They selected several rollers, tape, brushes, a tray, and a tarp to put on the floor.

"Do you want to do something on the walls?" Lena turned toward Kara, an idea blossoming.

Kara scrunched her face. "Like a picture?"

"I was thinking more like a mural…like the ones I saw at your apartment. Might be nice."

Kara's eyes lit up at the idea and she disappeared only to return a moment later with several different colors of paint and smaller brushes.

"Anything else we need?"

"Nope, though can we –"

"Get something to eat on the way home? As if I don't know you."

An hour later, Lena shut the door and laughed as Kara tried to balance six pizzas, two bags of pot stickers, a salad, and all of their paint supplies.

"You're one of those people who refuse to make more than one trip aren’t you?" Lena asked.

Kara squinted at her. "Anyone who makes more than one trip is a slacker, that's just how it is."

Lena shook her head while grabbing a slice of pizza. "And Supergirl is no slacker."

"Darn right." Kara flexed her arm to confirm her point.

"Have you thought about a name?"

Kara filled a plate then sat in the chair next to Lena. "I have ideas but nothing that I'm overly attached to. You?"

Lena waffled a moment. "Okay, hear me out."

Kara nodded when Lena raised a brow.

"When I was a girl, before I got adopted…I have this memory of my mother reading to me under a tree. I'd hold my bear close and she'd tell me stories. We'd sit on a checkered blanket, red and blue. Sometimes, I'd look up at her and the sun would be shining and the tree had this smell. For years it was just a memory, one I had no idea if it was even real and over time it faded and I lost her. Then, I was in Greece and I smelled it…All the memories came back to me. I had my mom back, at least that one memory." Lena wiped at her eyes. "It was a Laurel tree. I looked it up and one of the meanings is honor. So, if it's okay with you, I'd like to call her Lori to honor the memory of my mother."

Kara's eyes were watery when the met Lena's gaze. "I think it's a beautiful name. Lori Luthor."

Lena laughed, wiping at her face. "Lori Allura Danvers."

Kara went still then leaned in and kissed Lena, hard.

"We'll figure out the last name later. Right now, we have to paint. You do have clothes to paint in right? Like ratty stuff?" Kara's voice was still raw, but her smile was genuine.

"Ratty? You mean like…out of style?" Lena laughed.

Kara sighed and lifted Lena into her arms. "What am I going to do with you?"

Lena wrapped her arms around Kara's neck. "Whatever you want."

Their painting was delayed by a few hours, but neither one cared.

***

Kara got out of bed, the idea she'd had earlier while Lena was talking wouldn’t leave her alone. In fact, the more she tried not to think about it the more she focused on it. Making a decision, she crawled out of bed and went into the nursery.

"Hey, where are you?" Lena's voice echoed from the bedroom.

"Just checking something, I'll be right there."

Kara slipped back into bed, not realizing how much time had passed. "Morning."

"Mmm, what were you checking?"

"Nothing important. Want me to go get us some coffee and grab the paper? We can do the crossword in bed?"

Lena rolled over so her arm was wrapped around Kara's stomach. "As much as I'd love to, I can't. I need to go into the office and check on the…on Lori and meet with Alex."

At the mention of her sister, Kara knew what Lena was working on. "Can I come by?"

"Not sure, we haven’t figured out what it will do to you yet."

Kara's phone buzzed and she grabbed it from the nightstand. "It's the DEO. There's been a sighting of Reign. I have to go."

Lena froze. "Be careful. Promise me!"

"I promise. Trust me, I have no intention of being chewed out by Eliza ever again for almost dying."

Kara dressed in her new suit and sent a message to Kal. Whatever happened, she knew she couldn’t do it on her own. By the time she reached the scene, there was no sign of the rogue alien. Kal landed next to her, his face full of concern.

"She's back?"

Kara nodded, pointing to the sigil burned into the ground and a dozen dead bodies.

"Looks like another drug deal, but she took out five cops as well." Alex walked up to them, her expression somber.

"We'll do a search around the city and keep an eye out for anything," Kara said.

"Sounds good." Clark shot into the air.

"Kara, watch out, okay?"

"I will. You too."

Kara flew off, her gut telling her they weren’t going to find Reign in broad daylight. Three hours later she and Kal called it a day.

She went straight to L-Corp and entered the lab Lena and Alex were working in. They were hovered over a computer screen, a pad full of notes beside them.

"Hey."

Alex spun, grabbing something and shoving it into a container and slamming the lid shut while Lena slid a small slide into a sealed box.

"Kara, you need to be more careful. We have no idea how this kryptonite will affect you," Lena said.

"Do you feel okay? Any symptoms?" Alex asked, already walking toward Kara with her hand up to check her forehead.

"I feel fine, guys." Kara let her sister fuss over her and then moved further into the room.

Picking up the pad she looked at the results they had from the tests they had run. She didn’t see anything too promising and let out a breath.

"You really think this is going to be the key?"

Both of them shrugged. "It's the only lead we have."

"Okay, I'll leave you to it. You can do your…thing. I'll just go do Supergirl stuff."

Lena kissed her cheek. "I'll make it up to you tonight."

"I'm standing right here," Alex said.

Kara hugged Alex from behind. "Love you."

"Whatever, make out with your girl and go be a hero while we beat our head against the desk to figure this out."

Kara did as told, then went back home and finished her project.

***

Lena set her briefcase down by the door. She and Alex had made some progress in their studies. They'd developed a delivery method which would limit the chances of Kara coming into contact with it or being affected. Now, all they needed to do was figure out exactly what it did, neither one of them wanting to rely on Lex's notes.

"Kara? Where are you? Sorry, I'm late. I got caught up with some stuff." Lena went to the kitchen and turned on the kettle.

Her forehead wrinkled when there was no response. She spotted Kara's phone on the counter attached to the charger. Her coat was next to the door. Lena looked in the bedroom to see if perhaps Kara had fallen asleep, but didn’t see any sign of her.

Down the hall, she spotted the light on in the nursery. She pushed the door open and stopped at what she saw.

An unusual looking crib was in the far corner of the room painted in a patchwork of colors that normally would make Lena insane, but for some reason, this mix appealed to her. Above it was a mobile with four letters spelling out Lori.

Though, what truly stole her breath - On the wall across from the rocking chair, Kara had painted a mural. A laurel tree with branches that wrapped up across the ceiling. Lush green leaves with bits of sunlight breaking through. What captivated her and made her heart squeeze was the red and blue checkered blanket with an open book lying on it. Lena almost reached out to pick it up the detail was so amazing.

"Do you like it?" Kara stepped up from behind her.

Lena, still unable to talk, nodded. She moved closer to the tree when what she thought was a random design caught her eye. But no, nothing about Kara was random so why would her artwork be any different? The trunk of the tree and the branches were made up of Kryptonian phrases with their English translations following them. The script was like nothing she had ever seen, looking like art, meshing with the design of the bark, only visible to someone looking for it.

"Kara…this is amazing. You're amazing. I love you."

"I love you, too." And then Kara turned her around and wiped Lena's tears away with her thumb.

Lena gave her a soft kiss, trying to convey just how much what Kara had done meant to her.

"I was thinking we could get a blanket like that and go to the park. Make it a tradition. I found this place that has a lot of trees and privacy and smells nice."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Come on, your tea's ready."

Lena let Kara lead her out of the room. Smiling the whole way and wondering how the hell she had managed to win the heart of this amazing woman.

Kara poured two mugs and placed one in front of Lena.

"How did it go with Alex?"

Lena stared at the steaming liquid. "We have a way for you to deliver the Kryptonite to Reign with little to no risk for you."

Kara's eyes widened. "That's great. Why aren’t you sounding like that's great? I don't have to administer it in some weird way do I?"

Lena smiled at the comment, appreciating Kara peeling away a few layers of seriousness. "No, nothing like that. We just have no way to be sure about what it does. All we have is Lex's notes and who knows how he figured anything out."

Motioning to the mugs with her head, Lena picked them up. Then Kara gathered Lena in her arms and carried her out to the balcony where a blanket was waiting for them. Kara set Lena down and glanced away for a second, reappearing with a lit candle and setting it on the table.

"We need to have faith."

"Faith?"

Kara nodded, her face serene but voice carrying a tone of seriousness that Lena had never heard before.

"While I was painting that mural for you I started thinking about my mom and the memories I have of her. How I could honor her. I thought of Rao and the prayers we'd say together. On Krypton it was part of our community, it brought us together. It was something my mom passed on to me. Those phrases, some are prayers, others are vows I'm making to you and Lori because I have faith. In you. In Alex. In our family." Kara shrugged like that made everything they were dealing with so simple.

And maybe it was. Lena had spent years of her life doubting and assuming the worse, and while it had gotten her to this exact moment. She could pinpoint the moment her life started turning for the better, and it was when she allowed an overeager reporter with no experience into her office.

"Faith," Lena repeated, the word not quite rolling off her tongue with ease.

Kara held her tighter. "Yeah."

***

Kara's phone beeped and she reached a hand out from under the covers to destroy it. On second thought she read it, just in case.

She sat up when the message from Alex sunk in. Within seconds she was out of bed and in her suit. A quick kiss to Lena's temple and a short note explaining where she was going before she was out the window.

The scene was grizzly. Bodies everywhere. A siren blared. Lights flashed. Guards and prisoners alike ran around trying to escape the rampaging alien.

Superman flew in, a truck landing on top of Reign announcing his presence.

"Hey, tell me we have a plan?"

Kara held up the device Lena and her sister had made. "I get close enough to her to inject it."

"Oh, is that all?" He smirked.

"You distract her and I'll get it done. No matter what, don't step in – I can do this."

He looked at her, blue eyes narrowed. "I know you can."

Alex showed up with a team from the DEO and was trying to get as many people to safety as she could. When Reign turned on them Kara made her move.

Barreling into the alien they flew into the side of the prison, concrete falling around them. Reign backhanded Kara. Kara punched Reign.

A violent shove to her chest had Kara flying twenty feet back. Kal dove in then, using his heat vision to buy Kara a few seconds to get back on her feet. She dove right back in, punching Reign hard enough to split her lip.

Reign turned her head back slowly, a smile appearing on her face. Kara used that moment to pull out the device but she wasn’t fast enough. Reign swung her arm and Kara felt the impact on her side, the breath knocked clear out of her.

She opened her eyes, vision blurry. Ache starting in her ribs.

Kal was going back and forth, exchanging punches but Reign was too powerful and in under a minute she had him on the ground and was blasting him with her heat vision.

Kara ran toward them, device gripped in her hand. The moment she felt heat she pushed her arm forward and jammed the needle into Reign's neck. Pushing on the plunger she watched as the alien's face went from anger to pain to a combination of the two.

Reign stumbled back and Kara pulled Kal up.

"You okay?"

"You went toe to toe with her?"

Kara nodded, not taking her eyes off the now convulsing alien.

"Respect," he said, rubbing his jaw with one hand while he picked at a hole in his suit with the other.

Reign fell to the ground, her body jerking while inhuman noises erupted from her.

Putting an arm on her side, Kara felt her ribs starting to heal and sighed. Alex moved next to her, several agents in place while they waited to see what happened. Kara tensed when the body in front of them went still.

Then the strangest thing happened. Reign started to move, fast. Back and forth, around, up and down. She seemed to be splitting in two. The whole group backed up and Kara told them to run. She had no idea if there might be some sort of imminent explosion if the process continued.

By the time everyone was clear, Reign let out an agonized howl and shot into the air. Kara followed with Kal, landing a few seconds later in an abandoned field.

Two bodies lay on the ground where Reign had fallen. One naked, shivering and murmuring to herself, the other in the black suit lay still.

Kara approached with cautious steps. Only one heartbeat reached her ears.

"Are you okay?"

The woman cowered at the sound of Kara's voice. "Don't hurt me. I don't want to fight you again."

"I don't want to hurt you."

The woman looked up; her eyes overflowing with tears. "I didn’t…I wasn’t in control. She was."

Kara glanced at the unmoving body. Kal walked over and picked it up.

"Let me take care of this." He shot into the air.

"I can help you." Kara reached out for the woman, slowing her movements when she flinched.

"Why would you help me after everything I did? She did…made me do. I tried to fight her but she was so strong."

"It's okay. I know it's hard, but I need you to trust me. I think we can help you."

"I don’t feel her anymore." She pointed to her head. "In here."

"That's a good start. Do you have a name?"

"Sam. My name's Sam."

Kara removed her cape and wrapped it around the woman. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and warm."

***

Lena snuggled deeper into the blankets. She scrunched her nose and reached out a hand looking for Kara's warmth. Finding nothing, her eyes popped open.

"Kara?"

She raised herself up and leaned on her elbows. The note on the nightstand catching her attention. Halfway through reading it she was out of bed and pulling on a pair of sweats and one of Kara's t-shirts.

Phone in hand she flipped on the television. Coverage of the attack on the screen. Reign taking off and Kara following after her.

"Kara, you better be okay!" She set the phone down and counted to ten in hopes of gaining some control of herself.

"Hey, I was hoping to be back before you woke up." Kara entered via the front door, two bags of donuts in hand and two coffees.

Lena ran toward her. "You're okay? Are you hurt?" She ran her hands over Kara's body, stopping when she moved back when Lena grazed her torso.

"Just a little tender, it'll be fine in a couple of hours."

"Sun bed, now."

Kara made a face.

"No arguing with me. I had it installed for a reason."

"Yes, dear. Can I at least bring these?" She held up the donuts.

"Please, like I could stop you from eating in bed."

Kara laughed. "Do you really want to try?"

Lena blushed when she realized what she'd said. "That's not what…never mind. Strip and get on the bed."

"Why, Ms. Luthor, what has gotten into you today? Not that I don't like it." Kara wiggled her eyebrows.

Swatting her on the butt, Lena shook her head. "Get, I'll be right there."

When Kara turned the corner, Lena sagged against the counter. Kara was okay. Everything was fine. Lena went into the room a few moments later when her heart had stopped pounding, happy to see Kara in a sports bra and shorts happily munching on a jelly filled donut.

"So, what happened? The news isn't saying anything other than Reign flew off and you chased her." Lena sat down in the chair next to Kara's bed and put a hand on her leg needing to be in contact with the reporter.

"I used the black Kryptonite. It split her in two. It was totally wild, like make sure I never come into contact with that stuff kind of wild."

Lena winced. "What do you mean split her in two? Like down the middle?"

Kara made a face. "Gross and no that's not what I meant. Apparently, she had two personalities? I'm not really sure. The DEO is taking care of it now. The part of her that wanted to kill everyone is gone now. The part that's left is really scared, sad, and feels guilty."

Lena scooted the chair closer. "Is she safe though? Does she have powers?"

Kara nodded. "Not that we saw. They were able to draw blood with no problem and her blood work came back normal."

Lena sighed. "I'm so glad that's over."

"Hmm, me too," Kara said around a mouthful of chocolate glazed.

"Can we make a family rule that you wake me up before going off to face a situation like that?"

Kara nodded. "Sure, it can go right under the family rule where you don't hold any more outdoor press conferences."

Lena made a face. "Smart ass."

"Yeah, but I'm your smart ass."

Rolling her eyes, but not disagreeing, Lena found herself being pulled on top of Kara.

"You're supposed to be healing."

Kara slipped a hand under Lena's shirt, the warmth calming her. However, when Kara tensed and Lena felt the abs beneath her, her calm went out the window.

"I can multi-task," Kara said before pulling Lena down for a kiss.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Lena glanced at the computer screen, glaring at the time in the bottom right-hand corner. What had felt like an eternity was only two minutes. She huffed out a breath and forced herself to focus on the contracts in front of her.

The intercom on her desk buzzed. "Ms. Luthor, Ms. Danvers is here to see you."

A smile formed. A moment later Kara walked in, three bags of takeout in hand and a sheepish grin on her face.

"Hi. I brought lunch."

Lena got up and rounded her desk. "Hi," she said before kissing Kara on the cheek. "Please tell me there's at least one item in those bags that isn’t fried, covered in cheese, or loaded with carbs."

Kara pursed her lips. "Don't worry, you've trained me well. There's a side of coleslaw with your name on it."

Lena playfully slapped her on the shoulder. "Well, thank goodness. Supergirl saves the day."

"Ha ha, and I know I'm early, but I couldn’t wait to see you and Lori today." Kara went to the secret door and made her way down the hall.

Lena followed behind her. "In all honesty, I was about to text you and ask if some sort of other-dimensional time being had taken up residence because the minutes were crawling by."

"I know that feeling all too well." Kara waved her hand in front of the door then leaned down. A second later it opened and they both entered.

Kara set the bags on the table, then walked over to Lori. "She's growing fast."

Lena stood next to her, eyes darting between Kara and their baby. "Yes, she is. But, she's healthy and based on the notes I read over, her accelerated growth rate will return to normal once we remove her."

Swallowing, Kara held up her hand to the glass. A gesture Lena was familiar with. She'd been working on her Kryptonian and caught a few words, but wasn't fluent enough to understand it all.

"Are you nervous?" Lena asked.

Kara turned to her, blue eyes bright. "Yes, but in a good way if that makes sense. You?"

Lena nodded. "A bit."

Sliding an arm around her, Kara pulled her close. "Every day I come in here and tell her how much we love her and how we can't wait for her to come home with us." Kara turned to Lena then. "I tell her she has an amazing mom that is one of the strongest people I know."

A lump formed in Lena's throat. "You're not so bad yourself."

Kara's eyes widened. "Me? I'm totally going to be the cool mom. This kid will know every all you can eat buffet within a ten-mile radius of the city by the time she's five."

Lena laughed, "Ah, yes, the things that truly matter."

Kara pulled her to the table and started to set out different dishes of food. "Exactly."

Lena picked through the containers, raising a brow. "And I bet I'm the one that will have to convince her to eat vegetables?"

A potsticker halfway to her mouth, Kara grinned. "See, you're already nailing this mom thing."

Accepting the salad Kara handed her, Lena couldn’t do anything other than smile. They talked about their day, enjoying the reprieve from the chaos that had been their lives the last few months. Kara kept sneaking glances at her, and Lena knew something was on her mind, but every time she had asked Kara shrugged it off.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

Lena bit into a slice of carrot. "Not sure, I figured we'd do something. Why?"

"Right, yeah. We should totally do something. I'll make the plans." Kara's leg was tapping and the floor started to shake while she shoved a piece of broccoli in her mouth.

Lena reached out a hand to try and calm her. "Hey, everything okay?"

Kara went still. "Yes. Fine. Everything's great. You okay?"

Getting to her feet, Lena took the few steps to put her in front of Kara then sat down on her lap. "I'm fine." She reached her arms around Kara's neck. "You sure you're okay?"

Kara licked her lips. Her gaze going from Lena's lips to her eyes and back again. "Super. Great. Awesome. Why?"

Lena touched her forehead to Kara's. "Because you're acting weirder than usual."

"I'm not acting weird."

Lena raised a brow. "You just ate half a plate of vegetables."

Kara glanced down at the dish on the table in shock. "Wha…I…that was a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake."

Moving to get up, Kara's hands tightened around her waist. "Don't move. I like you here."

Lena sighed. "Good thing I like being here."

Their lips met in a sweet kiss. Lena positioning herself so she straddled her. Kara trailed kisses over Lena's jaw and down her neck pulling slightly at the neckline of her top. Lena tilted her head to the side to give her more access, moaning when Kara nipped her on the shoulder.

When Kara stood, Lena wrapped her legs around her and felt those wonderful abs pressing against her.

"We shouldn't…don’t have time…" Lena rasped out.

Kara pulled away from her a moment and raised a playful brow. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I'm really fast."

Lena swallowed, all too familiar with what Kara was capable of doing.

Blue and green eyes darkened.

***

Kara went over her mental checklist of what she needed. Then she sent a text to Lena. After that was done, she resumed pacing her apartment. She almost tore the door off its hinges when Alex knocked.

"Where have you been? I texted you like…" She glanced at her phone. "Nine minutes ago."

Alex entered with cautious steps. "Everything okay?"

"Fine!" Kara stalked over to the counter and fidgeted with a mug. "Why do people keep asking me that?" She turned around to stare at her sister.

"Maybe because you seem a little tense." Alex headed toward the counter and turned on the kettle.

Kara blew out a breath. "Maybe a little."

Alex slid onto a stool. "Want to talk about it?"

"I'm going to do it." Kara glanced up to meet her sister's eyes.

"About time." Alex reached out a hand and covered Kara's.

"Yeah, I know. I want to do it right though. And I want it to be perfect because she deserves that." Kara ran her free hand through her hair in an attempt to try and calm herself. It didn’t work.

Alex poured them both a mug of tea then went over to the couch and patted the spot next to her.

Kara followed, falling next to her and letting her head rest on her sister's shoulder.

"You think she'll say yes?"

Alex laughed. "I can't imagine any scenario in which she wouldn’t."

Kara huffed. "I hope you're right."

"I am. Now, drink your tea and tell me your plan."

***

Lena stared at the dresses on her bed then frowned. She'd been ready to look nice and sexy for Kara, but then got a text telling her to bundle up.

Returning to her closet she pulled out a pair of jeans then got down on her hands and knees looking for boots. She found a pair of designer ones but figured that probably wasn’t what Kara meant. Then she went to her dresser and grabbed a soft, green cashmere sweater.

Dating Kara was amazing. The woman never ceased to amaze her. It was the small things that sucked her in. Finding fresh flowers on her desk when she'd only been absent from her office for a minute or two. A bottle of her favorite French wine on the table for dinner and Lena knew without a doubt Kara had made a special trip for it. Food from places she mentioned in passing. Books appearing on her nightstand that had been on her wish list for years.

Kara paid attention to her in a way no one ever had before and while it scared her at first, now it made her feel loved and cherished.

Then there were the big things. Trips to watch multiple sunsets. Going for walks and picnics in places untouched by man. Stargazing from remote locations that filled Lena with wonder.

At first, she was terrified she didn’t do enough, didn’t measure up. How did one compete with a superhero? Kara had reassured her time and again, but it wasn’t until she held an exhausted and hurt Kara in her arms that she knew that…that was what she could and did do.

Lena could support Kara and believe in her. Have the sunbed ready when she knew she'd had a tough day. Order extra pot stickers during a binge of some show Kara wanted to watch. Listen to stories about Krypton and try to help Kara make this planet feel a bit more like a home to her.

These were all things Alex could and had done and would always do. But Lena knew it was different when it was someone outside of family. Someone you chose to let those walls down with. Someone you shared yourself with in a way that no one else got to see.

Sitting down at the flood of emotions rolling over her, she realized Kara was it for her. Well, her heart had known, but her mind had taken some time to catch up to the concept.

"Hey, you okay?" Kara asked.

Lena glanced up. "Yeah."

Kara reached out a hand and helped her up.

"So, where are you taking me?"

Kara set her glasses on the dresser and gave Lena a once over. "We need to work on your definition of bundle up."

"Says the woman who literally can't feel the cold."

Kara rolled her eyes while grinning. "Here, put these on."

***

While Lena got dressed, Kara waited in the living room. She rubbed her hands together, a new energy and enthusiasm running through her.

"Better?"

Kara turned to see Lena standing, rather cutely she had to admit, in a white parka, thick wool hat with matching scarf, gloves, and heavy boots that went up to her knees.

"Much. Now, ready for a little trip?"

Lena raised an eyebrow. "I've learned that when you say that, there is generally nothing little about said trip."

Kara shrugged. "What can I say? I crossed multiple galaxies to get here. Everything is a small trip for me."

Then Lena was in her arms and they were in the air. Lena clung to her, arms wrapped around her neck and face tucked in. Kara savored the feel, not wanting to forget a single second of this moment, this day.

She set down a few minutes later and waited for Lena to relax.

Green eyes opened and took in their surroundings. "Is this the…"

"The Fortress." Kara nodded.

She uncovered the key and hefted it into her hands unlocking the door.

Lena reached out to touch it. "You just leave it out here for anyone?"

"The only people who can lift that key is me, my cousin, or J'onn."

She watched as Lena toed it, her face scrunching up in frustration. "How much does it weigh?"

Kara grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. "A lot."

"This was originally my cousin's place but we've made it both of ours. It's kind of like having a piece of Krypton here on Earth."

Lena squeezed her hand. "It's beautiful."

"It's cold, but I understand they needed him to have a place that was unlikely to be found by humans and this was the best location. Krypton wasn't like this…well, not the cold part."

They moved further into the fortress.

"Who are they?"

Kara stopped and the giant ice statues of her aunt and uncle towering over them. "Kal's parents."

Lena glanced from them back to Kara. "Is it hard to see them?"

Cocking her head to the side, Kara smiled. "No, I'm glad their memory lives on not just through Kal, but here as well."

Kara started walking again; only stopping once she reached the center of the main chamber. She adjusted a few crystals and the room lit up in an array of varying shades of red. Thousands of flowers were revealed and she heard Lena's small gasp.

"Krypton had a red sun, as you know. So, this is how it would look if we were there right now…how we would look. And you're beautiful as always."

She reached a hand out to Lena and brought her into the middle of the room and up onto a small raised area. "I've told you how things were done on Krypton. When I first arrived here the concept of choosing a partner terrified me. I'd lost so much and was scared and angry. I was so sure I'd never be happy let alone feel at home here. Over time my attitude changed and I was able to alter my thinking, but it wasn’t until I met you that I knew I could have a home. Here. With you."

"Kara –"

Kara held up a shaky hand to Lena's lips and smiled softly. "I worked really hard on this and have been a nervous wreck for weeks. You gotta let me finish."

When Lena nodded, Kara ran her finger over the CEO's lips.

"Learning about Lori was the most amazing news I had ever heard until I found out she was part of you as well. Then it became a dream come true. I know it's not exactly what you wanted or how you probably envisioned your life. But, Lena Luthor, I can't imagine my life any other way now." Kara got down on one knee, grabbing a flower from beside her and holding it up. "Marry me?"

A lone tear streamed down the CEO's face. "I'd be honored, Kara Zor-El." Then she fell to her knees and kissed Kara.

Kara pulled back after a few minutes. "Thank, Rao."

"You actually thought I would say no?"

"No, not at all. Well, maybe there was some doubt…nerves really…" Kara bit her lip. "I mean life with me is not easy and I know –"

"Shh." Lena held a finger up. "My turn, I am totally and completely in love with you and if you hadn't asked me today I probably would have. You have taught me so much about love and what it's like to have family that I have no idea how to thank you but plan to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I appreciate you."

Kara knew her eyes were watery. "Me, too. And just so you know marriage is different for me. Kryptonians don't divorce. You're my one and only. I knew it the moment I saw you."

Lena sighed. "I think I did, too. Just took me longer to catch up."

Kara's eyes widened. "I forgot the most important part." She patted down her pockets until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out the platinum band with sapphire and jade stones she held it out to Lena. "You know, to make it official and stuff."

"Of course." Kara slipped the ring on Lena's finger, tracing it a moment.

"It's beautiful," Lena whispered.

Kara stood, bringing Lena with her. "I know how weddings work here, but I was hoping we could incorporate a few things from Krypton."

Lena wrapped her arms around Kara's waist. "We can do whatever you want."

Kara rested her head on top of Lena's. "Can I pick the menu?"

"You can do whatever you want, except that."

Kara laughed. "It was worth a shot."

***

Lena snuggled closer to the warm body next to her. Even though they had been back for hours and celebrated their engagement, she still craved the warmth of Kara.

Then her eyes popped open when she realized an alarm had awakened her. A very specific alarm.

"Kara, get up." She nudged the sleeping woman.

"Ten more minutes."

Lena sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. "Kara, it's time. Get up. The baby's coming." Lena almost passed out at the meaning of the phase she'd just uttered.

"Huh?" Kara turned to her, eyes droopy with sleep.

Lena grabbed a pair of pants not caring whose they were and slipped them on. "The baby, Lori. She's ready to come out. Time to go."

Kara continued to stare at her for a second then she turned into a blur of motion.

Lena forced herself to suck in a relaxing breath. Pulling one of Kara's sweaters over her head, she headed into the living room to grab her bag.

"Are you okay? I have the bags ready." Kara stood next to the door, her hair half up, glasses askew, one running shoe and one red boot, and her cape sticking out of the back of her pants.

Lena, unable to resist, pulled out her phone to snap a photo. "Honey, are you okay?"

Kara made a face. "Totally. Are you ready?" Lena bit her lip at the serious tone coming from a not –so-well-put-together Kara.

"Um, maybe you want to check your outfit while I call Alex."

Lena tried very hard not to laugh.

"Danvers."

"Alex, it's time."

"I'm on my way."

Lena turned back to Kara who was slipping off her boot.

"Your sister's on her way."

"Right. Good, that's great. Um, what do I do now?"

"We should get to the office."

Kara sped over to her and within seconds they were out the patio door and in the air.

When they landed on the balcony, Kara stepped away from her.

"Is this really happening? Is she okay? What happened?" Kara fired off several questions, her forehead crinkled.

Lena entered the code to open the sliding glass door and entered her office. "Yes. Yes. I installed a program to monitor the machine of any changes in functioning."

Kara swallowed, moving past Lena to open the door in the back of the office. "And what changed?"

Lena cleared her throat. "It initiated a sequence to release her."

"Right, so what do we do now?"

Up to that point, Lena had kept her cool, but now she had no idea. "We wait for Alex?" Lena glanced at her watch. "I called her about two minutes ago so…"

Kara held up a finger, disappeared in a blur, then reappeared a moment later with a stunned and windblown Alex.

"Okay, given the current circumstances I will let this slide, but never do that again. I'm lucky my bra didn’t strangle me on the flight over."

Kara nodded. "Right, never again. Got it."

Lena noticed the look Alex gave Kara and knew the older sister had picked up on Kara's nerves.

"Come on, let's go get this kid of yours."

The three made their way to the secret room. Alex going into doctor mode while Lena checked the machinery. Kara hovered near them, her face creased with anxiety.

"All systems are offline." Lena glanced at Alex.

"Ready."

Taking a steadying breath, Lena hit what she'd deduced was the release button. A series of lights went out then the liquid drained from the tank slowly into a reservoir underneath it. As it did all three of them watched as the tiny body sank lower.

"How do we open it? We need to get her out?" Kara said, panic lacing her voice.

"Relax, Kara," Alex said.

Lena watched, eyes transfixed. Lori sank lower, to the halfway point. Then, a click when the glass began to lift. None of them moved as their feet were soaked with the gel-like substance.

Kara reached forward and grabbed the baby, cradling her for a moment, looking at Alex for guidance.

"Lay her on the table," Alex said, then opened a bag of equipment she'd left earlier in the month.

Lena watched, nerves on edge. Never in her life had she wanted, no needed, to hear someone cry so badly.

Alex cleared her airways, picked her up and patted her back. The seconds ticked by too fast. Lena needed to hear Lori cry. Kara came up next to her.

"Alex?"

"Just give it a second." Alex continued what she was doing, if a bit firmer.

Lena's heart pounded in her chest. Next to her, Kara didn’t move, didn’t breathe, didn’t blink.

Finally, a small breath that led into a tiny cry which erupted into a wail. Lena sagged, Kara holding her up.

"There we go. Let's get a look at you, Lori." Alex played with the baby's hands and feet, did a few other things Lena suspected were important, but at the moment she was too busy trying to hold back her emotions.

"She's beautiful," Kara whispered reverently.

Alex smiled at them. "Ten fingers and ten toes. I'll need to do a more thorough exam to get an idea of where her abilities are and a general sense of her, but for now, how about you guys hold her." She held Lori out to Lena.

"No I mean…are you sure?"

"You can do it, Lena. Trust me." Alex moved a step forward.

Next to her, Kara moved to stand behind her, positioning her hands under Lena's arms. "We'll do it together."

Lena nodded and before she was ready, Alex placed the tiny bundle in her arms.

When she glanced down into big blue eyes she was a goner. Behind her, she felt Kara relax into her. Their fingers threaded together to hold their baby.

A baby that was a part of them.

Lori.

***

Kara stood watch as Alex ran Lori through a series of non-invasive tests and scans. Lena had closed down the medical research wing for the day to allow them this.

Lena listened to everything Alex said committing it to memory, making sure there were no notes or records of any kind. Kara had to smile at how protective Lena was. Kara pitied anyone on the future PTA who went up against Lena.

Winn had shown up a few hours later with all the papers they'd need to make sure Lori was theirs in every legally documented way possible.

Alex shut down the computer she'd been using and picked up Lori. She held the baby to her, gently rubbing her back.

"Okay, I was able to get a look at her blood and she's definitely half Kryptonian and half human. She hasn’t been exposed to any sunlight yet so it's hard to gauge the extent of her powers. We’ll just have to keep an eye on it as she grows."

Lena nodded, arms crossed. "Everything else is in order? Things where they're supposed to be?"

Alex grabbed Lori's hand and played with it. "Yep, she's perfect. Just like her aunt."

Kara's stomach rumbled. "Um, what do we feed her? And how often?"

Handing Lori over to Lena, Alex shrugged. "Formula should be fine and following her schedule is best for now. If she's anything like you, Kara, she'll make sure you know when she's hungry."

"We should get her home. She's tired," Lena said.

And as if on cue, Lori's eyes drifted shut, her head resting on Lena's shoulder. Kara snapped a picture with her phone.

Alex stretched her back, wincing. "Okay, let's get out of here. I need sleep."

Kara moved toward Lena, then stopped. "I'm guessing no flying with the newborn?"

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Good guess. I'll call a car. We'll give you a ride too, Alex."

During the drive, Kara held Lori. She argued that since they didn’t have a car seat the next best thing was her. While Alex nodded off in the corner and Lena went through her schedule so she could take the next few weeks off, Kara simply stared at her daughter.

A miracle.

A part of Krypton living on.

A part of Kara.

Family.

Alex got out of the car with a wave and promises of stopping by to see how they were doing soon. Another stop was made to pick up formula and then they were finally on their way home. Kara's leg bounced with anticipation.

Exiting the car, Kara waited for the driver to leave before they made their way to the elevator. Even though they'd hired someone J'onn had done his mind thing to and checked out, Kara wasn’t taking any chances today.

"You okay? You've been quiet." Lena asked.

Kara tore her eyes away from Lori. "I can't stop looking at her."

Lena huddled next to her, adjusting the blanket so more of Lori's face was exposed. "I know the feeling."

They made their way into the apartment and headed straight for the kitchen. Kara had gone out last week and stocked up on the necessities. Handing Lori to Lena, Kara prepared the formula, using a thermometer to make sure it was at the right temperature. Lena double checked.

Lena headed into the nursery taking a seat on the rocking chair while she fed Lori. Kara captured a few more pictures, then grabbed her sketchbook and sat across from them.

"I think it might be time for a diaper change," Lena said gently tapping Lori on the back to burp her.

Kara laughed at Lena's expression.

"Oh, you think it's funny? I see how it is."

"I got it." Kara set down her pencil.

"I knew there was a reason I agreed to marry you."

Kara smirked. "Come here, Lori. Let me explain to you why I'm going to be the fun mom."

Getting to her feet, Kara walked over to them and took Lori out of Lena's hands. Four tries later, Kara held Lori up and grinned when the diaper didn’t fall off.

She walked up to Lena and set Lori down in the crib. "She'll probably sleep now."

Neither one of them moved.

Lena's hand squeezed Kara's. "I love her so much already."

Kara pulled Lena closer to her and kissed the top of her head. "I know."

"I'm scared of messing this up."

Squeezing Lena gently, Kara turned them so they were facing one another. "We're both going to make mistakes, but I promise you I'm not going anywhere."

Lena didn’t say anything, just pulled Kara's head down for a kiss that promised more than words ever could.


End file.
